THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GROTON 


DURING 


THE    INDIAN     WARS. 


BY 

SAMUEL   A.   GREEN,    M.D. 


GROTON,  MASS. 

1883. 


CambrtBgc : 


PRINTED    BY    JOHN    WILSON    AND   SON, 
UNIVERSITY    PRESS. 


F 


TO 


jfflemorp 


BRAVE   MEN   AND  HEROIC   WOMEN 

WHOSE     HOMES    WERE    DESTROYED,    WHOSE    KINDRED    WERE    SLAIN,    AND    WHOSE 

CHILDREN     WERE     CARRIED     INTO     CAPTIVITY,     DURING     THE 

SEVERAL     ASSAULTS     ON     THE     TOWN     BY 

THE     INDIANS, 

THIS   ACCOUNT   OP    THEIR    SUFFERINGS 

£s  Inacribeb 

BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


1.C667-iO 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     KING  PHILIP'S  WAR 7 

II.     KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR 51 

III.  QUEEN  ANNE'S  WAR 86 

IV.  BUMMER'S  WAR 125 

V.    KING  GEORGE'S  WAR 148 

VI.     FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR 157 

VII.     MISCELLANEOUS   MATTERS 179 

INDEX 193 


CHAPTER    I. 


KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 


I. 

THE  early  settlers  of  Groton  encountered  many  trials  and 
privations  in  planting  the  town.  The  men  worked  hard  in 
felling  trees  and  breaking  ground,  and  the  women  toiled 
faithfully  in  their  rude  homes.  They  were  used  to  hardships, 
and  took  them  with  Christian  resignation.  Their  daily  life 
taught  them  the  true  principles  of  philosophy.  They  lived 
on  the  rough  edge  of  civilization,  and  nothing  stood  between 
them  and  an  unbroken  wilderness.  These  pioneers  were  a 
devout  people ;  and  the  strength  of  their  religious  belief  is 
shown  in  no  way  so  clearly  as  in  the  fortitude  with  which  they 
met  their  lot  in  life.  The  prowling  Indians  were  their  neigh- 
bors, whose  movements  required  careful  watching.  There 
were  families  of  savages  scattered  along  the  interval  land  of 
the  Nashua  Valley,  from  Lancaster  to  the  Merrimack  River, 
who  at  times  annoyed  the  settlers  by  killing  pigs  and  stealing 
chickens.  Judging  from  the  number  of  stone  implements 
found  in  the  neighborhood,  there  was  an  Indian  village  just 
above  the  Red  Bridge,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  It 
probably  consisted  of  a  few  families  only,  belonging  to  the 
Nashua  Tribe,  as  they  were  called  by  the  English.  Like  all 
their  race  these  Indians  were  a  shiftless  people,  and  often 


8  KING   PHILIP'S    WAR. 

changed  their  abodes,  going  hither  and  thither,  as  they  found 
good  hunting-grounds  and  fishing-places.  They  bartered  skins 
and  furs  with  the  planters ;  and  so  much  business  was  carried 
on  in  this  way,  that  the  government  sold  to  individuals  the 
right  to  trade  with  them.  As  early  as  July,  1657,  Mr.  John 
Tinker,  one  of  the  original  selectmen  of  the  town,  appointed 
by  the  General  Court,  paid  eight  pounds  for  the  privilege  of 
trafficking  with  them  at  Lancaster  and  Groton.  A  few  of 
these  natives  knew  a  little  English,  which  they  had  picked 
up  from  contact  with  the  whites.  Gookin  refers  to  them  in 
his  "  History  of  the  Christian  Indians,"  when  he  speaks  of 
"  some  skulking  Indians  of  the  enemy,  that  formerly  lived 
about  Groton,  the  principal  whereof  was  named  Nathaniel, 
he  and  his  party  did  this  and  other  mischief  afterward,  in 
burning  several  houses  at  Chelmsford."  1  This  Nathaniel  was 
taken  subsequently  at  Cocheco,  now  Dover,  New  Hampshire, 
and  hanged  in  Boston.  Some  of  these  vagrants  took  an 
active  part  in  the  burning  of  Groton  during  King  Philip's 
War.  The  leader  of  the  savages  at  this  assault  was  John 
Monaco,  or  Monoco,  nicknamed  "  One-eyed  John,"  from  the 
loss  of  an  eye.  After  he  had  taken  by  stratagem  a  garrison- 
house,  he  entered  into  a  long  conversation  with  Captain 
Parker,  who  was  stationed  in  another  house  near  by,  and 
called  him  his  old  neighbor.  From  this  fact  I  infer  that 
"  One-eyed  John  "  knew  Captain  Parker,  and  had  previously 
lived  in  the  vicinity.  Warfare  among  the  aborigines  did  not 
require  generalship  so  much  as  knowledge  of  places;  and 
the  head  of  an  assaulting  party  was  one  familiar  with  the 
clearings  and  the  lay  of  the  land  in  the  threatened  territory. 
During  the  ensuing  autumn  this  leader  was  brought  to  the 
gallows  in  Boston,  where  he  suffered  the  extreme  penalty  of 
the  law. 

The  Indians  soon  acquired  from  the   English  the  love  of 
strong  drink,  which  is  sure  to  lead  to  disputes  and  quarrels. 

1  Archasologia  Americana,  II.  471. 


KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 


The  earliest  documents  at  the  State  House,  relating  to  Groton 
and  the  savages,  give  an  account  of  a  drunken  brawl  which 
ended  in  murder.  The  affair  took  place  in  the  Mcrrimack 
Valley,  and  several  men  of  this  town  were  summoned  to 
appear  as  witnesses  at  the  investigation  before  the  General 
Court  in  Boston.  In  the  spring  of  1668  Captain  Richard 
VValdron  built  a  trucking  or  trading  house  at  Penacook,  now 
Concord,  New  Hampshire,  where  a  few  weeks  later  one 
Thomas  Dickinson  was  murdered  by  an  Indian  while  under 
the  influence  of  liquor.  The  homicide  created  great  excite- 
ment, and  it  has  been  supposed  to  have  delayed  the  perma- 
nent settlement  of  the  place  for  many  years.  A  warrant 
was  issued  directing  the  constable  of  Groton  to  summon 
John  Page,  Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr.,  Joseph  Blood,  and  Robert 
Parish,  all  of  this  town,  before  the  General  Court  in  order  to 
give  their  testimony,  which  they  did  under  oath.  It  ap- 
peared by  the  evidence  that  there  had  been  a  drunken  row, 
and  that  Dickinson  was  killed  by  an  Indian,  who  acknowl- 
edged the  crime  and  expressed  great  sorrow  for  it,  but 
pleaded  drunkenness  in  extenuation  of  the  deed.  The  cul- 
prit was  tried  at  once  by  a  council  of  the  Indians,  who 
sentenced  him  to  be  shot,  which  was  done  the  next  day.  It 
is  interesting  now  to  note  the  high  temperance  stand  taken, 
more  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  by  the  Chief  Tohaunto, 
which  places  him  abreast  of  the  most  earnest  opposers  of  the 
rum  traffic  at  the  present  time. 

Throughout  this  narration  I  purpose  to  give,  as  far  as 
practicable,  the  exact  language  of  the  men  connected  with 
the  events  ;  and  for  this  reason  many  original  documents  are 
printed  in  full.  Some  of  the  papers  relating  to  the  affair  at 
Penacook  are  as  follows : 

To  the  Constable  of  Groatcn 

These.  Require  yo"  in  his  Majtys  name,  to  sumone  &  require  John 
Page  &  such  other  of  yc  toune  y'  went  vp  to  Inquire  for  ycir  catle.  at 


10    •  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

Pemicook  presently  on  the  death  of  the  Englishman  murthured  by  y' 
Indians  there  lately  in  a  drunken  fitt.  as  is  sayd  &  others  yl  yo"  know- 
to  make  theire  Appearances  before  the  Generall  [Court]  now  sitting  in 
Boston  on  27th  Instan'.  at  eight  of  yc  clocke  in  the  morning  to  give 
in  their  euidences  in  y'J  Case  relating  to  ye  sd  murther  &  y'  occasion 
thereof  by  selling  strong  liquors  &  by  whom  as  they  know  or  have  heard 
making  yor  return  of  this  warrant  to  the  Secretary  at  or  before  y'  time 
hereof  yo"  are  not  to  faile  dated  in  Boston,  the  1 5th  of  Octobe'  1668. 
By  the  Court  EDW  :  RAWSON  Sere" ' 

[Endorsed] 

These    thre    men    namly   John    Page    Thomas  an    Robard 

Tarball   Junir   &   Joseph    Blood   are    Summanced  Parish 

to  apeare  at  the  Generall  Court,  according  to  the  premises  : 
by  mee  MATTHIAS  FARNWORTH 

Constable  of  Grawton 
To  the  Constable  Grawten 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  155.] 

The  words  "  an  Robard  Parish  "  appear  in  the  original,  in 
one  corner  of  the  writing,  as  given  above.  They  were  evi- 
dently put  in  after  the  document  was  written. 

The  Deposition  of  Danll  Waldron  being  called  to  speak  what  I 
know  about  the  Death  of  Thomas  Dikison  who  was  killed  by  an 
Indian  as  they  say  :  my  selfe  with  many  others  was  sent  up  by  my 
father  to  see  the  corps  and  enquire  into  his  death  when  we  came 
there  we  found  the  man  dead  and  an  Indian  lying  dead  by  him  and 
examining  the  Indians  how  he  came  by  his  death  they  said  the  Indian 
that  lay  dead  by  him  killed  him  with  his  knife  :  and  enquiring  further 
why  he  killed  him  the  Indians  told  us  they  asked  him  and  he  gave 
them  no  answere  but  bid  them  shoott  him  :  and  further  enquiring 
whether  the  Indian  were  Drunk  they  answered  that  he  was  not  Drunk 
and  after  this  we  saw  him  buried  presently,  and  we  returned  home  the 
next  Day 

This  was  taken  vpon  oath  :  this  20  :  I  of  ye  8  :  [  mo  1668  before  vs 


[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  i ;;.] 


SIMON  WILLARD 
WM  HATHORXF. 


KING   PHILIP'S    WAR.  II 

Wee  whose  names  are  herevnto  subscribed  doe  testifye  that  in  or 
aboute  ye  Month  of  June  last  past  goeing  to  Pennycooke  to  enquire 
after  Cattle  yt  were  lost,  rideing  to  ye  ffort  at  the  sayd  Pennicooke, 
meeteing  wth  some  of  the  Indians  belonging  thereto  told  us,  y'  an 
Englishman  was  Killed  by  an  Indian,  and  that  all  our  Englishmans 
Laws  they  had  Killed  the  Indian,  wee  farther  enquireing  of  them  how 
and  whether  the  Indians  were  drunck  when  the  Englishman  was 
Killed,  and  they  answered  all  Indians  were  then  drunck  or  else  they 
had  noe  Kild  Englishman ;  And  farther  wee  Evidence  Tohaunto 
a  Sagamore  being  afrayd  that  wee  had  brought  Liquors  to  sell  desired  us 
if  wee  had  any,  that  wee  would  power  it  vppon  the  ground  for  it  would 
make  ye  Indians  all  one  Divill,  And  farther  wee  meeteing  wth  Thomas 
Payne,  who  told  us  he  was  Cap'  \Valdern's  serv1,  asking  him  whether 
the  Indians  were  druncke  when  the  Englishman  was  Killed,  and  he 
answered  not  drunck ;  and  after  farther  discourse  wth  ye  sd  Payne  he 
sayd  that  ye  pson  that  was  Killed  was  Peter  Coffins  man  and  farther 
sayd  that  if  the  Killing  of  the  Man  did  not  prevent  it  his  the  sayd 
Paynes  Master  Capt  Walderne  and  Peter  Coffin  did  intend  to  send 
Carpenters  to  build  there  and  also  to  have  ground  broake  vpp  to  be 
improved,  and  wee  farther  affirme  that  wee  saw  a  Rundlett  which 
would  hold  at  least  six  Gallons  in  the  Trucking  House  near  the  sayd 
ffort ;  after  wch  wee  meeteing  wth  the  Indians  then  there,  and  telling 
them  yt  Thomas  Payne  told  us  that  they  were  not  drunck  when  The 
Englishman  was  Killed  the  Indians  then  sayd  yt  Payne  much  Lyed, 
for  wee  had  Divers  Quarts  of  Liquors  the  same  day  that  the  sayd 
Englishman  was  Killed  upon  and  one  of  the  Indians  Cofnaunded  his 
Squagh  to  wash  a  Bladder,  wherein  the  Indian  sayd  there  was  a  Quart 
of  Liquors  and  wee  doe  adiudge  it  to  be  as  much ;  or  using  words  to 
the  same  effect 

JOHN  PAGE 
Octobr  27'.''  1668  ROBB  PARRIS 

THOMAS  TARBALL 

Sworne  in  Court,  27,  october  1668  :  JOSEPH  BLOUD 

EDW  :  RAWSONT  Secrety 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  161.] 

During  a  series   of  years   before    King    Philip's    War   the 
Indians    had    been    supplied    with    arms    and    ammunition, 


12  KING   PHILIP'S    WAR. 

though  this  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  colonies.  The 
French  in  Canada  and  the  Dutch  in  New  York  had  carried 
on  considerable  traffic  with  the  natives  in  these  contraband 
articles ;  and  occasionally  some  avaricious  settler  would 
barter  with  them,  giving  powder  and  shot  in  exchange. 
The  possession  of  firearms  made  the  Indians  bold  and 
insolent,  and  the  tendency  of  events  was  toward  open  hos- 
tilities. This  tendency  was  strengthened  by  a  feeling  of  sus- 
picion on  the  part  of  the  colonists,  and  by  one  of  jealousy 
on  the  part  of  the  savages.  Distrust  always  grows  out  of 
suspicion,  and  the  fears  of  the  settlers  began  to  be  excited 
when  they  thought  of  their  exposed  situation.  Under  these 
circumstances,  it  was  wise  to  prepare  for  all  emergencies; 
and  at  an  early  day  a  military  company  was  organized  in 
this  town.  The  following  entry  is  made  in  the  manuscript 
records  of  the  General  Court  during  the  session  beginning 
May  6,  1673  :  - 

James  Parker  of  Groaten  hairing  had  the  care  of  the  military  Com- 
pany there  for  seuerall  yeares.  is  Appointed  &  ordered  to  be  their 
leiftennant  &  W"  Larkin  to  be  ensign e  to  the  sajd  Company  there 

[General  Court  Records,  IV.  718.] 

The  two  officers  of  this  organization  were  each  promoted 
one  grade  during  the  next  autumn,  which  would  indicate  that 
the  company  was  filling  up  in  numbers.  At  the  session  of 
the  General  Court  beginning  October  15,  1673,  the  record 
reads : 

The  military  Company  of  Groaten  being  destitnt  of  military 
oficers  The  Court  Judgeth  it  meet  to  choose  &  Appoint  James  Parker 
to  be  their  captane  W"1  Lakin  to  be  leiftennant  &  Nathaniel  Lawrence 
to  be  their  ensigne 

[General  Court  Records,  IV.  726.] 

Before  this  time  there  had  been  in  Middlesex  County  a 
company  of  troopers,  or  cavalry,  made  up  of  men  living 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  13 

in  the  frontier  towns,  of  which  Groton  was  one — as  men- 
tioned in  the  General  Court  Records  of  October,  1669. 

One  of  the  prominent  men  in  the  history  of  the  Colony  at 
this  period  was  Major  Simon  Willard.  A  native  of  Eng- 
land, he  came  to  Massachusetts  in  the  year  1634.  He  had 
lived  at  Concord,  Lancaster,  and  Groton,  and  in  all  these 
places  exerted  a  wide  influence.  He  had  rilled  various  civil 
offices,  and  in  his  day  was  a  noted  military  man.  His  farm 
was  situated  at  Nonacoicus,  now  included  within  the  limits  of 
Ayer;  and  his  dwelling-house  was  the  first  building  burned 
at  the  attack  on  Groton,  March  13,  1676.  During  several 
months  previously  he  had  been  engaged  with  his  men  in 
scouting  along  the  line  of  frontier  settlements  and  protecting 
the  inhabitants.  At  this  assault  Major  Willard  came  with  a 
company  of  cavalry  to  the  relief  of  the  town,  though  he  did 
not  reach  the  place  in  time  to  be  of  service  in  its  defence. 
He  died  at  Charlestown,  on  April  24,  1676,  a  very  few  weeks 
after  this  town  was  abandoned.  Benjamin  Tompson,  the 
earliest  native  American  poet,  pays  the  following  tribute  to 
his  character,  in  a  little  pamphlet  published  during  King 
Philip's  War,  and  entitled  "  New  England's  Tears."  It  is 
certainly  rude  in  expression,  and  probably  just  in  its  concep- 
tion, but  not  accurate  as  to  the  date  of  his  death :  — 

About  this  Time  Died  Major  Willard  Esq ;  who  had  continued 
one  of  our  Senators  many  years,  and  Head  of  the  Massachuset  Bands. 
In  23  April  1676. 

EPITAPHIUM. 

Great,  Good,  and  Just,   Valiant,  and  Wise, 
New  Englands  Common  Sacrifice  : 
The  Prince  of  War,  the  Bond  of  Love, 
A  True  Heroick  Martial  Dove  : 
Pardon  I  croud  his  Parts  so  close 
Which  all  the  World  in  measure  knows, 
We  envy  Death,  and  well  we  mav, 
Who  keeps  him  under  Lock  and  Ke\. 


14  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

His  Praises  will,  or  are  more  largely  celebrated ;  but  let  this  be 
accepted  according  to  the  Nature  of  my  Writings,  which  are  but  Brief 
and  General. 

The  first  mention  of  anything  in  the  town- records,  relating 
to  the  Indians  or  the  War,  is  the  following:  — 

At  a  meeting  of  the  sellect  men  Jully  2  July  22  75  a  rat  made 
for  the  defraying  of  the  charg  of  the  ware  and  put  in  to  the  hand 
of  William  Longiey  constable  to  gather  the  sume  23!  14"  4  added  7 
shill  more  than  the  Just  proportion 

The  mutterings  of  warfare  were  now  beginning  to  be  heard, 
and  the  colonists  were  looking  for  protection.  Captain  Par- 
ker writes  to  Governor  Leverett,  under  date  of  August  25, 
1675,  that  the  inhabitants  "are  in  a  very  great  strait"  and 
"  much  discouraged  in  their  spirits ;  "  that  they  want  ammu- 
nition and  twenty  good  muskets  for  their  pikemen.  The 
letter  itself,  with  the  quaint  expressions  of  two  centuries  ago, 
gives  a  good  idea  of  their  narrow  circumstances,  and  is  as 
follows :  — 

To  the  honoured  John  Leneret  Esquir  Goucrnour  of  the  Massechusets 

collcny 

Honoured  sir  with  the  rest  of  your  counsell  I  have  made  bold  to 
enform  your  worships  how  the  case  stand  with  vs  that  the  Indians  are 
aproach5  near  to  vs  our  scouts  hau  discouerd  seuerall  tracks  very 
near  the  habetable  parts  of  the  town  and  one  Indian  they  discouerd 
but  escapt  from  them  by  skulking  amongst  the  bushes  and  som  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  our  town  have  heard  them  in  the  night  singing  and 
halloeing.  which  doe  determin  to  vs  their  great  height  of  Insolency  : 
we  are  in  a  very  great  strait  our  Inhabitants  are  very  much  discour- 
aged in  their  spirits  and  their  by  diseuaded  from  their  callings  I  haue 
receiued  20  men  from  the  worshipfall  Major  Wellard  and  Captain 
Mosselly  men  to  help  secur  our  town,  but  notwithstanding  we  are  in  a 
very  weak  capacity  to  defend  ourselues  against  the  Insolency  and 
potency  of  the  enemy  if  they  shold  apear  in  number  and  with  that 
violenc  that  they  did  apear  at  quabog  [Brookfield]  the  which  the 
good  lord  forbid  if  it  be  his  good  pleasur,  much  honoured  and 


KING    PHILIP'S   WAR.  15 


respected  the  good  lord  be  with  you  In  your  consultations  that  you 
may  vnderstand  what  to  doe  for  your  new  england  Israel  at  such  a  tini 
as  this  and  in  particular  ourselues  and  for  our  dear  neighbours  at  Lan- 
chester  vpon  whom  the  enemy  haue  made  an  Inraid  6  persons  are 
already  found  and  buryed  the  7?^which  they  doe  expect  is  kild  is  not 
as  yet  found  you  may  be  pleased  to  tak  notice  that  we  shall  want 
ammunition  spedily  by  reason  that  we  hau  parted  with  som  to  Cap' 
Mosselly  men  and  som  we  spent  'in  the  fight  at  quabog  as  also  I  hau 
suplyed  the  souldiers  with  amunition  that  were  sent  to  me  that  was 
Imployed  in  the  seruice  they  hauing  spent  their  ammunition  If  you 
could  help  vs  with  20  good  muskets  for  our  pik  men  and  I  will  return 
them  again  or  else  giu  a  valluable  price  for  them  in  such  pay  as 
we  can  produce  among  ourselues  not  else  at  present  but  leaue  you 
to  the  guidance  of  the  God  of  heauen  who  is  the  only  wise  counsellor 
and  remaine 

Your  seruant  to  cofhaund  in  any  seruice  to  my  power 

JAMES  PARKER  Cap1 
from  Groten 

August  25   75 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVII.  244.] 

A  few  days  before  the  date  of  this  letter,  Captain  Samuel 
Moseley  writes  from  "  Nashowah  Allies  Lankcster:  i6:h  Augs' 
1675  "  that,  in  accordance  with  instructions  from  Major- 
General  Denison,  he  had  sent  "to  Groatton :  12:  men." 
These  are  among  the  ones  alluded  to  in  Captain  Parker's  let- 
ter, as  having  arrived  to  help  secure  the  town.  Captain 
Moseley  further  says:  — 

also  last  nightt  aboutt  seaven  A  Clocke  we  martched  Into  Nashowah 
[Lancaster]  wheare  we  are  Att  Presentt  butt  shall  as  soone  as  the  Con- 
stable Hajth  prest  vs  a  dozen  Horsses  ;  Proseed  for  groatton  &  so  to 
Chenceford  ;  according  to  the  ordrs  Major  Willerd  gaue  me  yesterday 
Att  Quoahbauge  [Brookfield]. 

I  Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVII.  239.] 

The  letter  was  written  a  few  days  after  Major  \Villard  and 
Captain  Parker,  both  of  Groton,  had  gone  with  forty-six  men 


1 6  KING    PHILIP'S   WAR. 

and  five  Indians,  to  the  rescue  of  Brookfield,  on  August  y, 
1675,  and  just  in  the  nick  of  time  saved  that  town  from 
massacre.  An  interesting  account  of  this  affair,  written  by 
Captain  Thomas  Wheeler,  is  found  in  the  second  volume  of 
the  "  Collections  of  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society." 
Captain  Wheeler  was  a  brave  soldier,  and  severely  wounded 
in  that  campaign.  Evidently  he  could  fight  better  than  he 
could  spell,  judging  from  the  following  certificate :  - 

To  the  honered  Governer  &>   Counccll  of  tlic  Massathusets  Colony  in 
New  England 

These  are  to  signyfie  that  Cornellius  Consert  the  Dutchman  was 
vppon  the  Contryes  Servis  Att  quabauge  &  by  the  Councle  of  warre 
there  was  sent  out  Cap1  of  the  forlorne  And  Afterward  marched  to 
Grotton  &  Chensford  &  According  to  my  best  Advice  Continued  in 
the  Countryes  servis  six  weekes  Cornellius  being  Reddy  to  depart  the 
Country  &  myselfe  being  here  att  boston  the  Major  Willard  being 
Absent  I  granted  this  ticket. 

THOMAS  WHELER  Cap' 

BOSTON  October  ye  13 

1675 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVIII.  7.] 

In  those  days  there  was  no  physician  here  to  offer  his  pro- 
fessional skill  to  the  government  in  its  time  of  need,  and 
even  a  small  military  force  was  sure  to  require  medical  or 
surgical  attendance.  It  therefore  became  necessary  to  im- 
press into  the  public  service  a  surgeon,  as  well  as  a  horse  with 
accoutrements,  as  we  find  from  the  following  order:  — 

2})  the  Constable  of  Boston. 

These  Require  you  in  his  Majestyq  name  forthwith  to  Impresse  Mr 
Wm  Haukins  Chirurgeon  :  Imediately  to  prepare  himself  \vlh  materials 
as  Chirurgeon  &  to  dispatch  to  Marlbory.  to  Capt  Mosely  &  attend  his 
motion  &  souldiers  at  Groaten.  or  elsewhere  :  for  wch  End  you  are 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  1 7 

also  to  Impresse  an  able  horse  &  furniture  for  him  :  to  Goe  :  w:h  the 
post 

Dated  at  Boston  ifh  Augus'  1675  making  Return  hereof  to  the 
Secret" 

By  ye  Council 

EDW.  RAWSON  Secrety 
IMassachusetts  Archives,  LXVII.  241.] 

The  constable  made  the  indorsement  on  the  order  that  Dr. 
Hawkins  was  duly  warned.  According  to  Savage's  Genealogi- 
cal Dictionary  he  was  a  butcher,  but  in  his  will  he  is  styled 
a  surgeon,  —  a  union  of  callings  which  is  rather  suggestive. 

At  this  time  King  Philip's  War  had  begun,  and  open  hos- 
tilities had  alarmed  the  inhabitants  of  the  place.  The  Council 
passed  an  order  on  September  8,  1675,  that  Cornet  Thomas 
Brattle  and  Lieutenant  Thomas  Henchman  should  take  fifty 
men,  —  of  whom  thirty  were  to  come  from  Norfolk,  then  a  dif- 
ferent county  from  the  present  one,  and  twenty  from  Middle- 
sex, —  and  place  them  in  the  garrisons  at  Dunstable,  Groton, 
and  Lancaster,  in  such  proportions  as  they  should  deem 
expedient.  The  order  is  as  follows  :  — 

For  Cornet  Thomas  Bratle  cV  Leif tenant  Thomas  Henchman 

You  are  herby  impoured  &  appointed  with  a  party  of  horsmen 
vnder  your  coiuand,  forthwith  to  march  to  Chelmsford  to  attend  & 
put  in  execution  the  instructions  following : 

i  first  you  are  ordered  with  fifty  soldiers  that  are  appointed  to  meet 
you,  at  Leift  Henchmans  vizt  thirty  y'  are  to  come  from  the  county  of 
Norfolke  &  twenty  out  of  the  county  of  Midlesex,  that  are  ordered  to 
meet  you  at  Groton  these  fifty  men  you  are  ordered  to  sett  in  garri- 
sons in  the  frontier  townes  of  Dunstable,  Groton,  and  Lancaster  &c  in 
such  proportion  as  in  your  discretion  shal  bee  expedient  placing  them 
vnder  the  comand  of  the  cheefe  military  officers  of  each  towne  : 
giueing  those  officers  direction  :  to  joyne  &  lyst  other  meet  persons  of 
their  owne  companyes  with  them,  &  order  them  euery  day  to  surraund 
the  townes  yey  are  to  secure  ;  &  if  they  can  to  carry  doggs  with  ym  to 
search  for  &  discouer  any  enimy  that  may  aproch  nere  such  towne  & 


18  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

at  night  to  repaire  vnto  such  corps  du  gaurd,  as  are  appointed  to  them 
for  the  security  of  the  sd  place,  and  there  to  keep  watch  by  night ; 
&  furthermore  you  are  to  declare  vnto  the  Inhabitants  of  each  Towne 
(you  are  herby  orclerd  to  garrison)  that  the  Gouernor  &  council  do 
expect  their  bee  meet  prouisions  of  victual  made  for  the  garrison  sol- 
diers herby  ordered,  at  y1'  charge  of  towne  ;  whch  is  not  to  bee  brought 
vnto  the  acco1  of  the  publicke  ;  &  if  any  town  or  people  decline  so  to 
Doe  so  you  are  herby  ordered  not  to  leaue  any  soldiers  with  them. 

Secondly  you  are  further  ordered,  to  Vse  your  best  endeuor  to  setle, 
compose  &  quiet  matters  respecting  the  Indians  our  neighboars,  par- 
ticularly those  that  Hue  at  Wamesit,  Nashubah,  &  Malborough  ;  y1  }  ou 
endeuer  to  put  in  execution  the  printed  order,  relating  to  those  indi- 
ans  &  particularly  y1  you  procure  some  english  man  or  men  to  bee 
with  y"1  or  at  least,  to  visit  y'"  once  a  day  to  be  as  guardians  for  securing 
the  english  and  indians,  that  neither  the  one  or  other  may  bee  piudiced 
or  injured,  &:  the  council  are  willing  to  allow  such  person  or  psons  a 
meet  compensation  for  their  seruice  in  y1  Imploy.  And  concerning 
the  Indians  at  Marlborow  who  are  ordered  to  reside  at  Hassanamesit 
about  twelue  miles  distant  whether  you  are  to  order  the  cheefe  officer 
of  Malborow  to  conuey  them,  &:  if  you  can  possibly  procure,  an 
english  man  or  two  to  reside  with  them,  at  Hassanamesit  according  as 
the  printed  order  proude  but  in  case  that  can  not  bee  obtained  y" 
those  indians  must  be  left  at  Hassanamesit  with  exprse  charge  punck- 
tualy  to  Obserue  the  printed  order. 

Lastly  you  are  to  endeauor  either  one  or  both  of  you  (if  it  may  bee) 
to  gaine  the  Indian  Sachem  called  Wannalanset  to  com  in  againe  and 
Hue  at  wamesit  quietly  [and]  pecabley  •  you  may  promise  him  in  the 
Councills  name  y'  if  hee  will  returne  &:  his  people  <S:  line  quietly  at 
Wamesit  hee  shal  susteyne  no  priudise  by  the  english  :  only  you  are  to 
ppose  to  him  y'  he  deliuer  for  a  hostage  to  the  english  his  sonne  who 
shalbe  wel  vsed  by  vs.  &  in  case  hee  come  in  &  can  bee  gained  then 
you  are  to  impour  him  to  informe  the  Pennakooke  &  Xatacook  indians 
&  all  other  indians  on  the  East  side  of  Merrimack  Riuer,  that  they  may 
hue  quietly  &  peacable  in  yr  places  &  shall  not  bee  disturbed  any 
more  by  the  english  prouided  they  do  not  assist  or  ioyne  with  any  of 
or  enimiy  nor  do  any  dammage  or  preiudice  to  y"  english  : 

And  hauing  put  in  execution  these  instructions  you  are  to  returne 
home  and  giue  an  acco'  thereof  to  the  Council. 


KING    PHILIP'S    WAR.  IQ 


And  what  euer  is  necessary  for  fulfiling  these  Instructions  you  arc 
herby  impowred  by  order  of  the  Gounor  &  Councel  to  do  it. 

past  by  yc  Councel  8  September  1675 

E  R  S. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVII.  252.] 

About  this  time  the  question  of  withdrawing  a  considerable 
force  from  the  garrisons  seems  to  have  been  considered  ;  but 
a  protest  against  such  action  was  drawn  up  and  signed  by 
Simon  Willard  and  three  others,  who  were  probably  the 
officers  in  command.  From  the  representation  they  made, 
it  is  not  likely  that  any  troops  were  taken  away.  The  com- 
munication was  as  follows  :  — 

Honerd  Gentlemen  the  Gouvr  6*  Councell 

This  afternoon,  we  had  acordinge  to  your  order,  discourse  with 
Capt  Hincksman,  in  reference  to  his  actings  in  his  waye  as  to  the 
comisione  he  reed  frome  you,  he  is  to  take  :  80  men  frome  oure 
Garisons,  that  is  all  we  haue  or  mor,  &  we  :  stand  in  neede  of  more 
but  we  dare  not  be  so  bold,  our  corne,  that  littill .  we  haue,  is  time  it 
weare  gathered,  but  if  our  scouts  be  taken  off  heer  is  littill  be  gathered, 
&  many  will  be  hardly  kept  with  vs,  but  will  rune  awaye  frome  all  our 
townes,  you  hapily  may  thinke  we  are  afrayd,  we  will  not  bost  ther- 
about,  but  we  dare  saye,  our  liues  are  not  dear  vnto  vs,  in  any  way 
that  God  shall  call  vs  to,  our  thoughts  are  that  it  is  not  advisable  to 
march  vp  to  penicooke  wher  ther  are  many  Indians  at  the  prsent, 
yet  many  abroad  about  all  our  towns  as  apears  dayly,  but  our  prsent 
thoughts  are,  that  it  might  be  for  prsent  saftie  for  the  country,  that  a 
Garison  wear  settled  ouer  Merrimake  Riuer  about  donstable,  that  ther 
maye  be  enttercorse  betwene  our  towns  &  that  Garison,  we  haue 
apoyntted  Capt  Pakr  &  left  Hinckesmen,  who  will  relatte  y°  things  to 
giu  you  reall  light,  much  further  than  is  meet  now  to  do,  or  then  time 
will  pmitt,  we  are  not  willinge  to  truble  you  any  further,  but  rest 
your  humble  servants 

GROATON  this  25"' :  7  :  75 

SIMON  WILLARD, 
SALOM  A  DAMES 
JAMES  PARKER  : 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVII.  265.]  JAMES   KlDDER 


20  KING- PHILIP'S    WAR. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  —  October  27,  1675  —  the  town 
was  assessed  £\  i.  lOs.  as  her  rate  to  carry  on  the  war;  and, 
when  paid  in  money,  one  quarter  to  be  abated.  (Archives, 
LXVIII.  29.)  This  amount  appears  to  be  in  addition  to 
the  rate  made  at  a  general  town  meeting  on  July  22  of  the 
previous  summer. 

It  is  evident,  from  an  entry  in  the  town-records,  that  ther.e 
was  about  this  time  a  slight  lull  in  the  local  excitement.  It 
is  recorded:  — 

At  a  Generall  Towne  meeting  held  no-  8  1675  It  was  this  day 
agreed  vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  there  should  be  a  committe 
chussen  to  treat  with  Mr  Willard  about  sending  down  to  the  general! 
court  to  Enforme  and  supplicat  to  them  that  we  may  haue  payd  to  vs 
what  is  our  due  from  the  countrey  and  also  that  the  Billit  of  the  soul- 
diers  may  be  vpon  the  countreys  account  and  also  agreed  vpon  that  if 
this  would  not  doe  for  to  stand  it  out  at  law  with  them 

and  the  commitee  chussen  was  Cap'  Parker  Leiftenant  Lakin 
William  Longley  seni-  John  Page. 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  vote  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
did  not  now  feel  greatly  alarmed ;  but  one  month  later  they 
had  become  more  apprehensive  of  danger,  as  the  following 
extract  will  show  :  — 

At  a  Generall  Towne  meeting  held  Decem  9  75  It  was  this  day 
agreed  vpon  and  by  vot  declared  that  the  soldiers  that  are  still  remain- 
ing in  the  town  shalbe  continued  in  the  towne  at  the  town  charge  till 
such  tim  as  we  heare  a  returne  from  the  army  goei[ng]  against  the 
naroganset  and  then  the  towne  to  meet  againe  to  consider  what  is  fur- 
der  to  be  done. 

The  ensuing  winter  must  have  been  a  hard  one  for  the 
colonists,  not  only  here  but  throughout  New  England.  The 
Indians  had  burned  some  towns  and  threatened  others,  and  it 
was  a  season  of  distrust  and  despair.  The  time  was  rapidly 
approaching  when  this  place  would  suffer,  and  soon-  the 
stroke  came.  It  seems  from  the  following  "  request,"  now  in 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  21 

the  possession  of  Dr.  John  S.  H.  Fogg,  of  South  Boston,  that 
the  assault  was  not  unexpected  :  — 

To   the   Hono'ed  the    Genera II   Cort  of   the  Massachusetts    Colony, 

in  AE  : 

The  humble  request  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Groton, 
humbly  sheweth, 

That  Wheras  in  this  day  of  Calamity  &  distresse,  wee  are  fellow- 
sufferers  with  our  brethren  &  neighbors,  in  the  sad  &  doleful  conse- 
quences of  the  present  unhappye  warre ;  though  wee  have  cause  to 
adore  &  praise  that  mercy  which  hath  preserved  us  from  such  desola- 
tion under  which  or  neere  neighbors  are  now  bleeding ;  yet  or  suffer- 
ings are  such,  as,  except  the  Lord  helpe,  wee  are  sinking  under. 
Esteeming  it  therefore  or  duty  to  apply  orselves  to  yor  honors,  whom 
wee  account  or  publicke  fathers,  &  trust  you  will  improve  yor  wisdome 
&  abilityes  for  us  :  wee  doe  earnestly  crave  or  present  state  to  be  con- 
sidered, &  weighed  in  a  just  balance  ;  who  are  brought  neere  to 
utmost  streights.  The  enemye  (as  we  groundedly  suppose)  waiting 
an  opportunity  against  us ;  the  season  of  the  yeere  calling  to  employ- 
ment, &  hasting  to  passe  away  from  us  :  ourselves  brought  into  a 
narrow  compasse,  &  ready  to  undergoe  sore  sufferings,  by  reason  of 
necessary  arising  inconveniencyes ;  or  provision  neere  consumed,  & 
souldiers  quartered  amongst  us  hastening  the  expense  of  it ;  our  wives 
&  children,  some  removed,  others  removing ;  our  cattel  lying  open  to 
dayly  hazards  of  being  seized ;  These  things  portend  to  us  a  famine, 
&  poverty,  coming  upon  us  with  as  great  fury  on  the  one  hand,  as  the 
enemy  on  the  other ;  &  wee  at  the  present  are  unable  to  be  beneficial 
to  the  publicke  &  private  interest  incumbent  upon  us.  Wee  humbly, 
&  upon  or  knees  crave  yor  honors  direction  &  assistance  in  this  case,  as 
the  Lord  shall  direct  whither  wee  shall  goe  or  stay,  or  what  way  we 
may  be  set  in,  &  wheras  we  were  summoned  to  send  in  or  deputy  we 
did  esteeme  or  present  state  required  the  presence  of  or  souldiery  at 
home,  especially  men  in  place  &  office  with,  us  :  wee  therefore,  being 
small  in  number,  &  dayly  waiting  the  approach  of  the  enemye,  have 
(not  in  any  despising  of  authority)  refrained  from  chusing  one  :  & 
withal  have  chosen,  or  Rever!1  Pastor  Mr  Same"  Willard  to  present  this 
or  humble  request,  &  farther  to  expresse  or  minds  and  humble  desires, 
as  occasion  may  present,  &  yor  hono'5  shall  see  meet  to  enquire  into. 


22  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

Commending  you  to  the  most  hygh,  &  supplicating  the  God  of  heaven 
to  reveale  counsel!  in  this  day  of  darknesse,  &  to  make  you  instru- 
ments of  his  glorye,  &  his  peoples  peace  ;  Wee  rest, 

Yor  honors 
From  Groton  this  humble 

Febr  :   19.  75.  Suppliants 

SIMON  WILLARD 
JAMES  PARKER  : 

[Superscription] 

To  the  Honored  the  Generall  Cort 

of  the  Massachusetts  Colonye 

Assembled  in  Boston 


The  following  petition,  sent  to  the  Council  then  in  session 
at  Boston,  was  written  four  days  before  the  burning  of  Lan- 
caster, and  five  weeks  before  the  destruction  of  Groton.  The 
original  paper,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Reverend  Samuel 
Willard,  is  now  among  the  Shattuck  Manuscripts  in  the 
library  of  the  New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society. 
Mr.  Willard  was  the  minister  of  Groton  at  that  time,  and  the 
son  of  Major  Simon  Willard.  The  perilous  condition  of 
the  frontier  towns  in  the  neighborhood  is  well  portrayed  in 
this  document.  Allusion  is  made  to  the  sudden  removal  of  the 
WTamesit  Indians,  —  a  friendly  tribe  living  near  the  present  site 
of  the  city  of  Lowell,  —  which  created  considerable  alarm,  as 
it  was  then  feared  that  they  had  joined  the  enemy.  It  turned 
out,  however,  to  be  groundless,  as  they  had  gone  into  the 
wilderness  only  for  a  short  time,  in  order  to  keep  clear  of  the 
intricacies  of  King  Philip's  War. 

To  the  honored  Counsill  of  the.  Massachuscts  sitting  in  Boston. 

The  humble  petition  of  us  whose  names  arc  subscribed,  humbly 
sheweth  ; 

That  wheras  it  seemeth  meet  to  yor  Worships  to  commend  to  or 
honred  Major  Willard,  <S:  impose  upon  him  the  mainteining  a  con- 
tinued scout  of  fourty  troopers  &  Dragoons  to  range  between  Groton, 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  23 

Lancaster,  &  Marlborough,  for  the  securing  of  the  interest  of  the 
Countrey  in  those  parts  ;  wee  make  bold  humbly  to  prsent  or  concep- 
tions upon  that  account  :  For  Marlborough  wee  conceive  the  present 
supply  left  there  in  garison  doe  Answer  the  end  more  fully,  &  alsoe 
will  render  or  scout  an  unnecessary  burden,  for  Lancaster  £  Groton, 
wee  find  by  experience  that  or  safety  is  little  advanced  in  this  way,  by 
reason  of  soe  long  absence,  &  soe  great  distance  of  this  scout  neces- 
sary in  this  method  :  besides  the  incumbrance  lying  upon  us  for 
quarters  for  horse  &  men,  besides,  the  drawing  up  of  or  men  from 
severall  Townes  to  such  a  limit,  seemes  to  carry  inconvenience  with  it, 
the  Towns  from  whence  or  forces  are  raised  especially  Chelmsford  & 
Bellerikey,  being  weake  &  in  want  of  more  strength  at  home,  &  danger 
accreuing  to  them,  by  the  sudden  and  suspicious  removall  of  the 
Wamassuk  Indians,  whose  troopers  doe  hereupon  desire  a  release  ; 
moreover  the  conceptions  of  the  Townes  related  conceive  humbly, 
that  a  scout  of  garrisoned  souldiers,  though  of  a  lesse  number,  &  those 
footmen,  whom  the  Townes  may  out  of  themselves  make  Dragoons. 
by  order  fro  authority,  as  occasion  may  present  ;  would  be  more  for 
the  security  of  the  Townes,  besides  the  hazard  in  which  so  small  a 
number  must  needs  goe  in,  as  wee  have  sufficient  ground  to  suspect 
by  experience,  &  many  emergencyes  which  may  suddenly  fall  out 
before  addresse  bee  made  to  yor  Worships  ;  wee  humbly  prsent  to  yor 
Honrs  to  consideration,  &  if  it  seeme  Rational!,  to  alter,  or  adde  to 
this  matter  according  to  yor  discretion. 

Yor  Honors  humble  suppliants  : 

JAMES  PARKER  : 
GROTON:  Febr  :  6.  1675.  THO:  WHEELER 

HENRY  WOODIS 
[Endorsed] 

Capt.  Parker  Wheeler  &  Woodys  letter  to  ye  Couns'l  Rec  feb.  8. 


[Superscription] 
To  the  honored  the  Councill  of  The  Massachusets  sitting  In  Boston. 

The  following  order,  signed  with  the  initials  of  Daniel 
Gookin  and  Thomas  Danforth,  the  two  members  of  the 
Council  living  in  Cambridge,  was  issued  during  an  emer- 


24  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

gency,  and  subsequently  approved  by  a  majority  of  that  body. 
The  town  was  threatened,  and  there  was  no  time  for  delay. 
Major  Willard's  quarters  were  at  Nonacoicus,  and  it  was  to 
that  place  that  Captain  Cook  and  his  command  were  ordered 
to  go.  It  is  highly  probable  that  these  Essex  and  Norfolk 
men  formed  a  part  of  the  force  that  came  under  Major  Wil- 
lard  to  the  relief  of  the  town,  as  mentioned  by  Mr.  Hubbard 
in  his  Narrative. 

To  Mr  Joseph  Cooke 

You  are  hereby  ordered  &  impowred  to  take  ye  comand  of  the 
Dragoons  &  Troops,  now  Impressed  out  of  Essex  and  Norff0  for  the 
service  of  the  Country.,  you  are  to  conduct  them  vp  to  Major  Willard, 
taking  speciall  care  that  they  make  no  waste  of  their  aitiunition,  & 
demeane  themselves  silently  &  vigilanty,  so  as  may  be  for  their 
ovvne  security,  &  gaineing  an  opportunity  if  providence  put  any,  for 
distressing  the  enemy,  &  securing  the  English  interest,  all  wch  you 
are  carefully  to  intend,  and  all  the  said  soldjers,  you  are  [to]  take 
their  names  in  a  list,  who  are  hereby  required  to  obey  you  as  their 
comander,  &  when  you  shall  come  to  the  Majors  Quarters,  you  are 
required  to  attend  his  further  order,  &  in  so  doing  this  shall  be  yor 
warrant,  making  returne  to  ye  Councell  of  w'  you  shall  do  herein. 

By  order  of  the  Council!. 
D.  G. 
T.  D. 

date  in  Camfcr.  The  Council  mett  on  the 

16.  i.  167^  16  :  of  March  1675  6. 

Essex.  48.  And  Approoved  of  this  Act  of 

Norff.  40.  Major  Gookin  &  Mr  Danforth 

as  Attest  E  R  S 

prsent 
Gour 

Mr  BRADS' 
Mr  GOOKIN 
Mr  DNF° 
Mr  STOUGHTON- 

M  TYNG 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVIII.  162.] 


KING    PHILIP'S   WAR.  25 

Nearly  one-and-twenty  years  had  passed  since  the  little 
settlement  in  the  wilderness  was  begun,  and  Groton  was  fast 
approaching  its  majority.  The  new  town  had  enjoyed  a  mod- 
erate share  of  prosperity,  and  was  slowly  working  out  its 
destiny.  The  founders  were  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  but 
rich  in  faith  and  courage.  They  had  now  tasted  the  hard- 
ships of  frontier  life,  but  not  as  yet  felt  the  horrors  of  savage 
warfare.  The  distant  thunders  of  a  threatening  storm  were 
beginning  to  be  heard,  and  the  occasional  flashes  put  the 
early  settlers  on  their  guard.  King  Philip's  War  had  broken 
out  during  the  summer  of  1675,  and  the  outlying  settlements 
were  exposed  to  new  dangers.  The  inhabitants  of  this  town 
took  such  precautions  as  seemed  needful,  and  trusted  in 
Providence  for  the  rest.  They  were  just  beginning  to  pre- 
pare for  the  work  of  another  season,  when  a  small  band  of 
prowling  Indians  alarmed  the  toxvn  by  pillaging  eight  or 
nine  houses  and  driving  off  some  cattle.  This  occurred  on 
March  2,  1676,  and  was  a  sufficient  warning,  probably,  to 
send  the  inhabitants  to  the  garrison-houses,  whither  they  were 
wont  to  flee  in  time  of  danger.  These  places  of  refuge  were 
usually  houses  surrounded  by  a  strong  wall  of  stone  or  tim- 
ber, built  up  as  high  as  the  eaves,  with  a  gateway,  and  port- 
holes for  the  use  of  musketry. 

In  Groton  there  were  five  such  garrison-houses,  and  under 
their  protection  many  a  sleepless,  anxious  night  was  passed 
by  the  inmates.  Four  of  these  houses  were  very  near  each 
other,  and  the  fifth  was  nearly  a  mile  away.  The  sites  of 
some  of  them  are  well  known.  One  was  Mr.  Willard's  house, 
which  stood  near  the  High  School ;  another  was  Captain 
Parker's  house,  which  stood  just  north  of  the  Town  Hall ;  and 
a  third  was  John  Nutting's  house,  on  the  other  side  of  James's 
Brook.  The  fourth  was  probably  north  of  John  Nutting's, 
but  perhaps  south  of  Mr.  Willard's.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
one  stood  near  the  house  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  late  Eber  Woods,  which  would  make  the  fifth  garrison- 
house  "  near  a  mile  distant  from  the  rest."  Richard  Sautell, 


26  KING   PHILIP'S    WAR. 

the  first  town-clerk,  was  living  on  this  site  at  that  time,  and 
his  house  would  have  been  a  convenient  rallying  point  for 
the  neighbors.  He  probably  was  the  Richard  Sawtell  who 
was  a  member  of  Major  Appleton's  company  in  this  War. 

It  is  recorded  in  the  inventory  of  his  estate,  on  file  in  the 
Middlesex  Probate  Office  at  East  Cambridge,  that  Timothy 
Cooper,1  of  Groton,  was  "  Sleine  by  the  Indeins  the  Second 
clay  of  march  1675-6."  Cooper  was  an  Englishman  by  birth, 
and  lived,  probably,  somewhere  between  the  present  site  of 
the  Baptist  meeting-house  and  the  beginning  of  Earmers'  Row. 
It  is  not  known  that  there  was  other  loss  of  life  at  this  time, 
but  the  affair  was  serious  enough  to  alarm  the  inhabitants. 
They  sought  refuge  immediately  in  the  garrison-houses,  as 
the  Indians  were  lurking  in  the  vicinity.  On  March  9  the 
savages  again  threatened  the  beleaguered  town,  and,  by  a 
cunningly  contrived  ambush,  managed  to  entrap  four  men  at 
work,  of  whom  one  was  killed  and  one  captured,  while  the 
other  two  escaped.  This  second  assault  must  have  produced 
great  alarm  and  consternation  among  the  people  of  the  town. 
The  final  and  principal  attack,  however,  came  on  the  I3th, 
when  the  enemy  appeared  in  full  body,  —  thought  to  be  not 
less  than  four  hundred  in  number.  The  inhabitants  at  this 
time  all  were  gathered  into  the  several  garrison-houses  for 
protection.  During  the  previous  night  the  savages  scattered 
throughout  the  neighborhood,  and  the  first  volley  of  shot  on 
the  morning  of  the  I3th  was  the  signal  for  the  general  burning 
of  the  town;  and  in  this  conflagration  the  first  meeting-house 
of  Groton  was  destroyed,  together  with  about  forty  dwelling- 
houses.  This  building,  erected  at  the  cost  of  many  and  great 
privations,  was  the  pride  of  the  inhabitants.  With  its  thatched 
roof  it  must  have  burned  quickly;  and  in  a  very  short  time 
nothing  was  left  but  a  heap  of  smoking  embers.  Although 

1  John  Cooper,  of  Weston  Hall,  England,  in  his  will,  written  November  21, 
1654,  and  proved  the  next  year,  mentions  his  "  brother  Timothy  Cooper  no~w  in 
New  England,"  with  children.  The  will  is  on  file  in  the  Registry  of  Probate, 
London. 


KING    PHILIP'S    WAR.  27 


it  had  never  been  formally  dedicated  to  religious  worship,  it 
had  been  consecrated  in  spirit  to  the  service  of  God  by  the 
prayers  of  the  minister  and  the  devotion  of  the  congregation. 
In  this  assault  John  Nutting's  garrison  was  taken  by  strata- 
gem. The  men  defending  it  had  been  drawn  out  by  two 
Indians,  apparently  alone,  when  the  savages  in  ambush  arose 
and  killed  one  of  the  men,  probably  John  Nutting  himself, 
and  wounded  three  others.  At  the  same  time  the  garrison- 
house,  now  defenceless,  was  attacked  in  the  rear  and  the  pali- 
sades pulled  down,  allowing  the  enemy  to  take  possession. 
The  women  and  children,  comprising  those  of  five  families, 
escaped  to  Captain  Parker's  house,  situated  between  James's 
Brook  and  the  Town  Hall. 

There  is  a  tradition,  which  is  entitled  to  credence,  that 
John  Nutting  was  killed  while  defending  his  log-house  fort 
during  King  Philip's  War.  His  wife's  name  appears  a  few 
months  later  in  the  Woburn  town-records  as  "  Widow  Nut- 
ting," which  is  confirmatory  of  the  tradition. 


II. 

Several  printed  accounts  of  King  Philip's  War  appeared 
very  soon  after  it  was  ended,  and  these  furnish  nearly  all  that 
is  known  in  regard  to  it.  At  that  time  there  was  no  special 
correspondent  on  the  spot  to  get  the  news  ;  and,  as  the  means 
for  communication  were  limited,  these  narratives  differ  some- 
what in  the  details,  but  they  agree  substantially  in  their  gen- 
eral statements. 

With  the  exception  of  Hubbard's  Narrative,  the  contempo- 
rary accounts  of  this  assault  on  the  town  are  all  short ;  and 
I  purpose  to  give  them,  in  the  words  of  the  writers,  for  what 
they  are  worth.  The  first  is  from  "  A  Brief  History  of  the 
Warr  with  the  Indians  in  Newe-England,"  by  Increase  Mather, 


28  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

published  in  the  year  1676.     This  account,  one  of  the  ear- 
liest in  print,  is  as  follows :  - 

March  the  loth.  Mischief  was  done,  and  several  lives  cut  off  by 
the  Indians  this  day,  at  Groton  and  at  Sudbury.  An  humbling  Provi- 
dence, inasmuch  as  many  Churches  were  this  day  Fasting  and  Pray- 
ing. (Page  23.) 

March  13.  The  Indians  assaulted  Groton,  and  left  but  few  houses 
standing.  So  that  this  day  also  another  Candlestick  was  removed  out 
of  its  place.  One  of  the  first  houses  that  the  Enemy  destroyed  in  this 
place,  was  the  House  of  God,  h.  e.  which  was  built,  and  set  apart  for  the 
celebration  of  the  publick  Worship  of  God. 

When  they  had  done  that,  they  scoffed  and  blasphemed,  and  came 
to  Mr.  Willard  (the  worthy  Pastor  of  the  Church  there)  his  house 
(which  being  Fortified,  they  attempted  not  to  destroy  it)  and  taunt- 
ingly, said,  What  will  you  do  for  a  house  to  pray  in  now  we  have 
burnt  your  Meeting-house  ?  Thus  hath  the  enemy  done  wickedly  in 
the  Sanctuary,  they  have  burnt  up  the  Synagogues  of  God  in  the 
Land ;  they  have  cast  fire  into  the  Sanctuary  ;  they  have  cast  down 
the  dwelling  place  of  his  name  to  the  Ground.  O  God,  how  long 
shall  the  Adversary  reproach  ?  shall  the  Enemy  Blaspheme  thy  Name 
for  ever  1  why  withdrawest  thou  thine  hand,  even  thy  right  hand  / 
pluck  it  out  of  thy  bosome.  (Page  24.) 

Several  accounts  of  the  war  appeared  in  London  in  1676, 
only  a  few  months  after  the  destruction  of  this  town.  They 
were  written  in  New  England,  and  sent  to  Old  England, 
where  they  were  at  once  published  in  thin  pamphlets.  The 
authors  of  them  are  now  unknown,  but  undoubtedly  they 
gathered  their  materials  from  hearsay.  At  that  time  Indian 
affairs  in  New  England  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  in 
the  mother  country.  One  of  these  pamphlets  is  entitled  : 
"  A  True  Account  of  the  most  Considerable  Occurrences 
that  have  hapned  in  the  Warrc  between  the  English  and  the 
Indians  in  New  England,  ...  as  it  hath  been  communicated 
by  Letters  to  a  Eriend  in  London."  This  narrative  says :  — 

On  the  1 3th  of  March,  before  our  Forces  could  return  towards  our 
Parts,  the  Indians  sent  a  strong  party,  and  assaulted  the  Town  of 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  29 

Growton,  about  forty  miles  North-west  from  Boston,  and  burn'd  all 
the  deserted  Houses ;  the  Garrison'd  Houses,  which  were  about  ten, 
all  escaped  but  one,  which  they  carryed,  but  not  the  English  in  it ; 
for  there  was  but  one  slain  and  two  wounded.  (Page  2.) 

Another  account,  entitled :  "  A  New  and  Further  Narra- 
tion of  the  State  of  New  England,  being  a  continued  account 
of  the  Bloudy  Indian-war,"  gives  the  following  version :  - 

The  1 4th  of  March  the  savage  Enemy  set  upon  a  Considerable 
Town  called  Groughton,  and  burnt  Major  Wilberds  House  first 
(who  with  his  family  removed  to  Charls  Town)  and  afterwards  de- 
stroyed sixty  Five  dwelling-houses  more  there,  leaving  but  six  houses 
standing  in  the  whole  Town,  which  they  likewise  furiously  attempted 
to  set  on  fire  ;  But  being  fortified  with  Arms  and  Men  as  Garisons, 
they  with  their  shot,  killed  several  of  the  Enemy,  and  prevented  so 
much  of  their  designe ;  Nor  do  we  hear  that  any  person  on  our  side 
was  here  either  slain  or  taken  captive.  (Page  4.) 

A  few  pages  further  on  it  says :  "  Grant  ham  and  Nasha- 
way  all  ruined  but  one  house  or  two."  (Page  14.)  Few 
persons  would  recognize  this  town  under  the  disguise  of 
Grant/mm. 

A  third  one  of  these  London  pamphlets,  bearing  the  title 
of  "  News  from  New-England,"  says  :  - 

The  ith  of  March  following  these  bloody  Indians  march't  to  a  con- 
siderable Town  called  Croaton  where  they  first  set  fire  to  Major  Wil- 
lards  house,  and  afterwards  burnt  65  more,  there  being  Seaventy  two 
houses  at  first  so  that  there  was  left  standing  but  six  houses  of  the 
whole  Town.  (Page  4.) 

The  details  of  the  burning  of  the  town  are  found  in  "  A 
Narrative  of  the  Troubles  with  the  Indians  in  New  England," 
written  by  the  Reverend  William  Hubbard,  and  printed  in  the 
year  1677.  It  is  the  fullest  history  of  the  events  relating  to 
Groton  appearing  near  the  time ;  and  very  likely  many  of  the 
facts  were  obtained  from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Willard.  The 


30  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

account  is  not   as  clear   as  might   be   desired,  and  contains 
some  glaring  discrepancies.     It  is  as  follows :  — 

March  2.  They  assaulted  Groton  :  the  next  day  over  night  Major 
Willard  with  seventy  Horse  came  into  the  Town  ;  forty  Foot  also 
came  up  to  their  relief  from  Watertown,  but  the  Indians  were  all  fled, 
having  first  burned  all  the  Houses  in  the  Town,  save  four  that  were 
Garisoned,  the  Meeting-house  being  the  second  house  they  fired, 
Soon  after  Capt.  Sill  was  sent  with  a  small  Party  of  Dragoons  of  8 
Files  to  fetch  off  the  Inhabitants  of  Groton,  and  what  was  left  from 
the  spoyle  of  the  enemy,  having  under  his  conduct  about  sixty  Carts, 
being  in  depth  from  front  to  reer  above  two  mile  :  when  a  party  of 
Indians  lying  in  ambush,  at  a  place  of  eminent  advantage,  fired  upon 
the  front  and  mortally  wounded  two  of  the  vaunt  Carriers,  who  dyed 
both  the  next  night ;  and  might  (had  God  permitted)  have  done  emi- 
nent damage  to  the  whole  Body,  it  being  a  full  hour  before  the  whole 
Body  could  be  drawne  up,  which  was  done  with  care  and  Courage  : 
but  the  Indians  after  a  few  more  shot  made,  without  doing  harm, 
retired,  and  made  no  further  assault  upon  them,  being  the  same  Party 
of  Indians  which  the  day  before  had  burned  some  part  of  Chelms- 
ford.  Soon  after  this  Village  was  deserted  and  destroyed  by  the 
enemy  :  yet  was  it  a  special  providence,  that  though  the  carts  were 
guarded  with  so  slender  a  Convoy,  yet  there  was  not  any  considerable 
loss  sustained. 

The  Surprizall  of  Groton  was  after  this  manner. 

On  March,  2.  The  Indians  came  in  the  night  and  rifled  eight  or  nine 
houses  and  carried  away  some  cattle,  and  alarmed  the  Town. 

On  March,  9.  About  ten  in  the  morning  a  parcel  of  Indians  (having 
two  dayes  lurked  in  the  town,  and  taken  possession  of  three  out-houses 
and  feasted  themselves  with  corn,  divers  swine  and  poultry  which  they 
there  seized)  laid  an  ambush  for  two  Carts,  which  went  from  their 
garison  to  fetch  in  some  hay,  attended  with  four  men,  two  of  which, 
espying  the  enemy,  made  a  difficult  escape,  the  other  two  were  set 
upon,  and  one  of  them  slain,  stript  naked,  his  body  mangled,  and 
dragged  into  the  high-way,  and  laid  on  his  back  in  a  most  shamefull 
manner :  the  other  taken  Captive  ;  and  after  sentenced  to  death,  but 
the  enemy  not  concuring  in  the  manner  of  it,  execution  was  deferred, 
and  he  by  the  providence  -pf  God  escaped  by  a  bold  attempt  the 


KING    PHILIP'S   WAR.  3' 

night  before  he  was  designed  to  slaughter,  and  fled  to  the  Garison  at 
Lancaster,  the  cattle  in  both  towns  wounded,  and  five  of  them  slain 
outright. 

March,  13.  Was  the  day  when  the  enemy  came  in  a  full  body,  by 
their  own  account  400.  and  thought  by  the  Inhabitants  to  be  not 
many  fewer.  The  town  was  at  this  time  (having  been  put  into  a 
fright  by  the  sad  Catastrophe  of  Lancaster  the  next  bordering  town) 
gathered  into  five  Garisons,  four  of  which  were  so  near  together,  as  to 
be  able  to  command  from  one  to  the  other,  between  which  were  the 
cattle  belonging  to  those  Families  driven  into  pastures,  which  afterward 
proved  their  preservation  ;  the  other  was  near  a  mile  distant  from  the 
rest. 

This  morning  the  Indians  (having  in  the  night  placed  themselves 
in  several  parts  of  the  town)  made  their  Onset ;  which  began  near  the 
four  Garisons ;  for  a  body  of  them  having  placed  themselves  in  Am- 
buscado,  behind  a  hill,  near  one  of  the  Garisons,  two  of  them  made 
discovery  of  themselves,  as  if  they  had  stood  upon  discovery.  At  this 
time  divers  of  the  people,  nothing  suspecting  any  such  matter,  (for 
the  day  before,  many  had  been  upon  discovery  many  miles,  and  found 
no  signs  of  an  Enemy  being  so  near)  were  attending  their  occasions, 
some  foddering  their  cattle,  some  milking  their  Cows,  of  whom  the 
Enemy  might  easily  have  made  a  seizure,  but  God  prevented  ;  they 
having  another  design  in  hand,  as  soon  after  appeared  :  These  t\vo 
Indians  were  at  length  espyed,  and  the  Alarm  given  ;  whereupon  the 
most  of  the  men  in  the  next  Garison,  and  some  also  of  the  second 
(which  was  about  eight  or  nine  pole  distant)  drew  out  and  went  to 
surprise  these  two  Indians,  who  kept  their  station  till  our  men  reached 
the  brow  of  the  hill,  then- arose  the  ambush  and  discharged  a  volley 
upon  them,  which  caused  a  disorderly  retreat,  or  rather  a  rout,  in 
which  one  was  slain,  and  three  others  wounded  :  mean  while  another 
ambush  had  risen,  and  come  upon  the  back  side  of  the  Garison  so 
deserted  of  men,  and  pulled  down  the  Palizadoes  :  The  Souldiery  in 
this  rout,  retreated  not  to  their  own,  but  passed  by  to  the  next  Gari- 
son, the  women  and  children  meanwhile  exposed  to  hazard,  but  by 
the  goodness  of  God  made  a  safe  escape  to  the  other  fortified  house 
without  any  harm,  leaving  their  substance  to  the  enemy,  who  made  a 
prey  of  it,  and  spent  the  residue  of  the  day  in  removing  the  corn  and 
household-stuff  (in  which  loss  five  Familyes  were  impoverished)  and 


32  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

firing  upon  the  other  Garison  :  here  also  they  took  some  Cattle.  No 
sooner  was  the  signal  given  by  the  first  volley  of  shot,  but  immediately 
in  several  parts  of  the  town  at  once,  did  the  smoakes  arise,  they  firing 
the  houses. 

In  the  afternoon  they  used  a  stratagem  not  unlike  the  other,  to 
have  surprised  the  single  Garison,  but  God  prevented.  An  old  Indian 
if  an  Indian  passed  along  the  street  with  a  black  sheep  on  his  back, 
with  a  slow  pace,  as  one  decrepit :  They  made  several  shot  at  him,  but 
missed  him,  at  which  several  issued  out  to  have  taken  him  alive,  but 
the  Watchman,  seasonably  espying  an  ambush  behind  the  house,  gave 
the  signal,  whereby  they  were  prevented. 

The  night  following  the  enemy  lodged  in  the  town,  some  of  them 
in  the  Garison  they  had  surprized,  but  the  Body  of  them  in  an  adja- 
cent valley,  where  they  made  themselves  merry  after  their  savage  man- 
ner. The  next  morning  they  gave  two  or  three  Volleyes  at  Capt. 
Parkers  Garison,  &  so  marched  off,  fearing  as  was  thought  that  supply 
might  be  nigh  at  hand.  This  assault  of  theirs  was  managed  with  their 
wonted  subtlety,  and  barberous  cruelty  :  for  they  stript  the  body  of 
him  whom  they  had  slain  in  the  first  onset,  and  then  cutting  off  his 
head,  fixed  it  upon  a  pole  looking  towards  his  own  land.  The  corpse 
of  the  man  slain  the  week  before,  they  dug  up  out  of  his  grave,  they 
cut  off  his  head  and  one  leg,  and  set  them  upon  poles,  and  stript  off 
his  winding-sheet.  A  infant  which  they  found  dead  in  the  house  first 
surprised,  they  cut  in  pieces,  which  afterward  they  cast  to  the  swine. 
There  were  about  forty  dwelling  houses  burnt  at  that  time,  besides 
other  buildings.  This  desolation  was  followed  with  the  breaking  up  of 
the  town,  and  scattering  of  the  Inhabitants,  and  removal  of  the  Candle- 
stick, after  it  had  been  there  seated  about  twelve  years. 

Concerning  the  surprizing  of  Groton,  March  13.  There  was  not 
anything  much  more  material,  then  what  is  already  mentioned,  save 
only  the  insolency  of  John  Monaco  or  one  'eyed  John,  the  chief  Cap- 
tain of  the  Indians  in  that  design  :  who  having  by  a  sudden  surprizal 
early  in  the  morning  seized  upon  a  Garison  house  in  one  end  of  the 
Town,  continued  in  it,  plundering  what  was  there  ready  at  hand,  all 
that  day ;  and  at  night  did  very  familiarly  in  appearance,  call  out  to 
Capt.  Parker  that  was  lodged  in  another  Garison  house,  and  enter- 
tained a  great  deal  of  Discourse  with  him,  whom  he  called  his  old 
Neighbour :  dilating  upon  the  cause  of  the  War,  and  putting  an  end 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  33 

to  it  by  a  friendly  peace  :  yet  oft  mixing  bitter  Sarcasmes,  with  several 
blasphemous  scoffs  and  taunts  at  their  praying  and  worshipping  God 
in  the  meeting  house,  which  he  deridingly  said  he  had  burned.  Among 
other  things  which  he  boastingly  uttered  that  night :  he  said  he  burnt 
Medfield  (though  it  be  not  known  whither  he  was  there  personally 
present  or  no)  Lancaster,  and  that  now  he  would  burn  that  Town  of 
Groton,  and  the  next  time  he  would  burn  Chelmsford,  Concord, 
Watertown,  Cambridge,  Charlstown,  Roxbury,  Boston,  adding  at  last 
in  their  Dialect,  What  Me  will,  Me  do  •  not  much  unlike  the  proud 
Assyrian  (if  his  power  had  been  equal  to  his  pride)  sometime 
threatned  against  Jerusalem,  but  was  by  the  remarkable  providence 
of  God,  so  confounded  within  a  few  months  after,  that  he  was  bereft 
of  his  four  hundred  and  fourscore  (of  which  he  now  boasted)  and 
only  with  a  few  more  Bragadozio's  like  himself,  Sagamore  Sam,  old 
Jethro,  and  the  Sagamore  of  Quobaog  were  taken  by  the  English, 
and  was  seen  (not  long  before  the  writing  of  this)  marching  towards 
the  Gallows  (through  Boston  Streets,  which  he  threatned  to  burn  at 
his  pleasure)  with  an  Halter  about  his  neck,  with  which  he  was 
hanged  at  the  Towns  end,  September  26.  in  this  present  year  1676. 
So  let  thine  Enemies  perish  O  "Lord,  and  such  contempt  be  poured  on 
all  them  that  open  their  mouthes  to  blaspheme  thy  holy  Name. 

Things  looked  with  a  pritty  sad  face  about  those  parts  at  this  time ; 
yet  though  the  Righteous  fall  seven  times,  let  not  their  Enemies  rejoyce, 
for  the  Righteous  shall  rise  again,  but  their  wicked  Enemies  shall  fall 
into  mischief,  and  rise  no  more.  It  was  ebbing  water  with  New- 
England  at  this  time,  and  a  while  after ;  but  God  shall  turn  the 
stream  before  it  be  long,  and  bring  down  their  Enemies  to  lick  the 
dust  before  them. 

After  this  April  \  7.  Captain  Sill,  being  appointed  to  keep  Garison 
at  Groton,  some  Indians  coming  to  hunt  for  Swine,  three  Indians  drew 
near  the  Garison  house,  supposing  it  to  have  been  deserted,  were 
two  of  them  slain  by  one  single  shot  made  by  the  Captains  own 
hands,  and  the  third  by  another  shot  made  from  the  Garison.  (Pages 
72-76.) 

The  following  paragraph  is  taken  from  "  A  Table "  in 
Hubbard's  Narrative,  and  is  found  on  the  fourth  page  after 
page  132. 

3 


34  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

Groton,  surprized  March  2.  as  is  related  pag.  60.  &  61.  [72-76?] 
the  place  consisting  of  about  60.  families,  was  soon  after  deserted,  yet 
are  there  14.  or  15.  houses  left  standing  to  this  day,  though  not  inhab- 
ited for  the  present,  pag.  73. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  first  paragraph  in  this 
account  was  written  soon  after  the  occurrence  of  the  events, 
before  the  details  were  fully  known,  and  that  the  remainder  of 
the  narrative  was  made  up  from  more  trustworthy  sources. 
All  after  the  second  paragraph,  beginning  with  "  The  Sur- 
prizall  of  Groton"  is  presumably  accurate,  and  may  have  been 
written  out  after  conference  with  persons  knowing  the  facts. 
At  any  rate,  the  first  paragraph  is  very  confusing,  and  it  is 
impossible  now  to  explain  the  inconsistencies. 

Mr.  Butler,  in  his  "  History  of  Groton,"  has  endeavored  to 
reconcile  them.  He  says  :  — 

In  order  to  make  this  narrative  consistent  with  itself,  as  to  time  and 
a  regular  succession  of  events,  as  they  happened,  conjecture  and 
explanations  are  necessary. 

It  seems  there  were  three  attacks  upon  Groton,  one  on  the  second 
of  March,  one  on  the  ninth,  and  the  third  and  principal  one  on  the 
thirteenth.  On  the  second  of  March  they  rifled  houses,  carried  away 
cattle,  &c. ;  on  the  ninth,  feasted  on  swine,  poultry,  &c.  killed  one 
man,  and  made  another  captive,  who  afterwards  escaped  to  Lancas- 
ter ;  and  on  the  thirteenth  they  burnt  the  town,  killed  one  man,  and 
wounded  three.  After  this,  the  inhabitants  moved  to  Concord.  The 
words  in  the  first  paragraph,  under  date  of  March  second,  "  the  next 
day  over  flight"  are  evidently  a  misprint.  Major  Willard,  with  seventy 
horse,  and  forty  foot  from  Watertown,  could  not  have  come  to  the 
relief  of  the  town  upon  such  short  notice.  Besides,  it  is  said,  "  the 
Indians  had  all  fled,  having  burnt  all  the  houses  in  town,  except  four 
garrisons."  Now  this  did  not  happen  till  the  thirteenth.  Suppose  we 
read  instead  of  "next  day  over  night''  next  day  fortnight;  then 
would  Major  Willard  have  come  on  the  seventeenth,  when,  to  be 
sure,  the  Indians  had  all  fled.  The  first  paragraph  gives  only  the 
general  result  of  the  principal  attack,  and  the  particulars  of  the  removal 
of  the  inhabitants.  Then,  in  the  second  paragraph,  the  author  gives 


KING   PHILIP'S    WAR.  35 

the  account  of  the  first  attack,  and  in  the  third  paragraph,  under  date 
of  March  9,  the  particulars  of  the  second  attack ;  the  last  clause  in 
this  paragraph  seems  to  have  no  connection  with  the  rest.  Then  fol- 
low the  particulars  of  the  third  attack,  on  the  thirteenth,  and  the 
departure  of  the  enemy  on  the  fourteenth.  The  "  place  of  eminent 
advantage,"  where  the  Indians  fired  on  the  teams  which  were  carrying 
off  the  inhabitants,  under  Captain  Sill,  is  said  to  be  "the  ridges." 
(Pages  81,  82.) 

The  ambush,  mentioned  by  Hubbard,  —  "  Ambuscado,"  as 
he  calls  it,  —  lay  probably  back  of  the  hill  behind  Governor 
Boutwell's  house,  and  it  was  on  the  hill  that  the  two  Indians 
were  discovered.  The  valley  where  the  savages  made  them- 
selves merry  on  the  night  after  the  assault  may  have  been 
easterly  of  the  cemetery. 

The  Indians  were  a  cowardly  set,  and  never  attacked  in 
open  field.  They  never  charged  on  works  in  regular  column, 
but  depended  rather  on  craft  or  cunning  to  defeat  their  adver- 
sary. The  red  hellhounds  —  as  they  were  sometimes  called 
by  our  pious  forefathers  —  were  always  ready  to  attack  women 
and  children,  but  afraid  to  meet  men.  The  main  body  of  the 
savages  passed  the  night  following  the  final  attack  in  "  an 
adjacent  valley,"  which  cannot  now  be  easily  identified,  but 
some  of  them  lodged  in  the  garrison-house  which  they  had 
taken  ;  and  the  next  morning,  after  firing  two  or  three  volleys 
at  Captain  Parker's  house,  they  departed.  They  carried  off  a 
prisoner, — John  Morse,  the  town-clerk,  —  who  was  ransomed 
a  short  time  afterward.  The  following  reference  to  him  in  an 
undated  letter,  written  by  the  Reverend  Thomas  Cobbct  to 
the  Reverend  Increase  Mather,  shows  very  nearly  the  time  of 
his  release  :  — 

May  ye  i2th  [1676]  Good  wife  Diuens  [Divoll]  and  Good  wife 
Ketle  vpon  ransom  paid,  came  into  concord.  &  vpon  like  ransom 
presently  [a]fter  John  Moss  of  Groton  &  lieftenant  Carlors  [Kerley's] 
Daughter  of  Lancaster  were  set  at  liberty  &  9  more  w'out  ransom. 

[Mather  Manuscripts  in  the  Prince  Collection,  at  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
I.  76.] 


36  KING   PHILIP'S   WAR. 

The  ransom  for  John  Morse  was  paid  by  John  Hubbard,  of 
Boston,  and  amounted  to  "  about  five  pounds."  Morse's 
petition  to  the  council,  to  have  Hubbard  reimbursed,  is  as 
follows :  — 

To  the  Honoed_  Council  conveened  at  Boston  Aug".  17^  1676. 
The  humble  Petition  of  John  Morse 

Sheweth.  That  yor  petition'  being  an  Inhabitant  of  Groton ;  hath 
together  (with  many  others)  been  deprived  of  his  Estate  by  the 
calamity  of  the  \varr ;  and  himselfe  carried  away  captive  by  the 
Enemy ;  and  about  five  pounds  in  mony  laide  down  by  Mr  John 
Hubbard  of  Boston  for  •'his  ransome,  and  understanding  that  there 
hath  been  some  Stock  raised  by  a  contribution  towards  the  ransoming 
of  the  captives.  Yor  petition"  doth  humbly  pray  that  hee  may  bee  con- 
sidered in  the  distribution  of  the  s'1  Stock,  and  that  Mr  Hubbard  may 
be  reimbursed  thereout ;  hee  having  not  of  his  own  wherewith  to  pay 
him.  and  yor  petition^  shall  for  ever  thankfully  acknowledge  yor 
Hono?  ffavor  therein  and  for  ever  prayer. 

This  petition  is  Granted  17  August  1676  : 

per  Consiliu :     E  R  S. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXIX.  48.] 

A  few  days  passed  after  the  final  assault  on  the  town 
before  it  was  abandoned  altogether  by  the  settlers.  Hub- 
bard says  that  when  the  inhabitants,  under  convoy  of  some 
dragoons,  left  the  place,  they  were  attacked  by  a  small  party 
of  Indians  who  the  day  before  had  burned  a  part  of  Chelms- 
ford.  The  date  of  the  affair  at  Chelmsford  was,  according  to 
Hubbard's  Narrative  (page  83,  verso},  about  March  18,  and 
this  fact  helps  to  fix  the  time  when  the  town  was  abandoned  ; 
although  in  another  place,  in  "  A  Table  "  on  the  fifth  un- 
numbered page  after  page  132,  he  says  that  it  occurred  in 
the  beginning  of  April.  A  garrison,  however,  was  still  main- 
tained here  for  some  weeks  later,  under  command  of  .Captain 
Joseph  Sill,  of  Cambridge ;  and  from  it  three  Indians  were 
killed  on  April  17,  —  two  of  them  by  a  single  shot  made  by 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  37 

the  Captain  himself,  and  the  third  by  one  of  his  men.  Soon 
afterward  it  was  given  up  as  a  military  post.  The  following 
orders  relate  to  supplying  it  with  ammunition  :  — 

It  is  ordered  that  twelve  pound  of  pouder  wth  shot  answerable  be 
delivered  to  the  comittee  of  Militia  of  Chelmsford  for  so  much  lent  by 
them  out  of  their  store  to  Captain  Sill  at  Groton. 

And  It  is  further  ordered  that  the  Comisarys  Mr  Jn°  faireweather 
&c  Convey  ouer  to  ye  Constable  charlstown  half  a  barrell  of  powde' 
&  propoytionable  shott  to  be  deliuered  to  the  persons  Appointed  :  to 
Carry  the  same,  to  Capt  Scyll  at  Groaten  :  together  wth  twelve  pounds 
of  powder  wth  shott  Answerable  to  be  Conveyd  &  deliurd  to  ye  Comittee 
of  militia  of  chelmsford  for  so  much  lent  by  them  to  Cap1  Scyll  for  the 
Country  service. 

past  EDW  RAWSON  Secrety 

22  Aprill  1676. 

To  the  Constables  of  Charls  Toune. 

These  Require  you  in  his  Majtys  name  forthwith  on  sight  heereof  to 
Impresse  two  able  men  Compleately  Armed  wth  fower  Day5  prouission 
and  two  very  substantiall  horses  bridles  &  sadles  &  well  shod  to  Con- 
vey &  Carry  the  Amntion  to  Chelmsford  &  Groaten  &  deliuer  the 
same  to  Cap'  Scill :  as  Comissary  faireweather  shall  direct,  making  ye 
returne  hereof  dated  in  Boston  the  22th  of  Aprill  1676. 

By  ye  Council 

EDWD  RAWSON  Secrety 

Deacon  Elliot. 

you  are  ordered  to  deliuer  two  of  the  Country5  horses  xf  best  you 
haue  in  yr  hands  to  Constable  Mousall  for  ye  ends  aboue  exprest 
22  Aprill  1676 

By  yc  Council  EDW  RAWSON  Secrety 

Ye  substance  of  ys  as  to  horses  was  deliuered  to  ye  Constable  of 
Maulden  &  Wooburne  for  y*  end. 

E  R  S 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVIII.  221.] 


38  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

The  following  petition  and  depositions  are  found  among  the 
Shattuck  Manuscripts,  and  refer  to  this  period.  "  Alse " 
Woods  was  Alice,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Woods. 

To  the  Right  Honrfble  the  Goif  and  Councell  sitting  in  Boston 

The  Petition  of  Daniell  Addams  Humbly  sheweth  that  yor  Petition' 
went  out  as  a  voluntear  :  upon  the  scout :  from  Concord  in  company 
with  some  of  Concord  and  some  of  Lancaster :  and  they  corneing  to 
Grauton  yor  petitioner  there  killed  an  Indian  :  and  hath  rec'd  no  wages 
from  the  Country  for  any  service  that  he  hath  done  :  notwithstanding 
he  hath  beene  out  upon  the  same  acco1  severall  times  both  the  Last 
sumer  and  the  Last  winter  and  is  now  goeing  out  againe  under  the 
Coihand  of  Leift  Curtis  : 

Yor  Petitioner  therefore  humbly  requests  the  favor  of  your  Honors 
to  consider  the  premises  and  to  grant  him  an  order  to  the  Treasure" 
for  his  satisfaction  according  as  the  Law  allows  in  that  case  —  so  shall 
he  be  ever  engaged  to  pray  &c 

DANIELL  ADDAMS 

[Endorsed] 

The  Petition  of  Daniell  Addams  21  Aprill  1676 

Att  Groton  the  i4th  of  march  1676  thire  was  Daniell  Adams  whoe 
was  uary  helpefull  to  the  tovvne  of  groton  with  som  others  of  Lankstar 
and  the  said  Daniell  adams  did  kill  one  Indan  att  Mr  Willards  garason 

Witness  JOHN  CADYE 
and  SAMUEL  WODS 

we  whoe  see  him  fall  to  the  graund  and  not  Rise  againe 

As  witness  NICKCOLASS  CADYE 

Samuell  Woodes  of  Grotten  aged  aboute  forty  yers  of  age  witnis 
that  he  saw  tooe  indens  standing  upon  Captine  parkers  Land  at 
grotten  and  danill  adams  shote  ai  tham  and  one  of  thame  falle  doune 
and  the  other  ran  away 

17  :  day  of  2  :   month  :    1676  : 

the  mark  T  of  SAMUELL  WOODES 

Alse  Woods  aged  about  forty  yeares  testifieth  &  saith ;  that  at 
Grooton  upon  the  day  that  the  moste  of  the  Towne  was  burnt  by  the 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  39 

Indians  :  she  heard  severall  say  that  Uaniell  Adams  had  killed  an 
Indian  ;  and  she  went  vp  presently  into  Mr  Willards  Garritt  &  saw  two 
Indians  stand  over  a  dead  Indian  about  halfe  an  hour  &  then  they 
carried  him  away  &  further  saith  not 

The  mark  O  of  ALSE  WOODS 

The  spring  of  1676  was  a  critical  season  for  the  frontier 
towns  of  Massachusetts.  During  the  war  some  of  them  had 
been  destroyed,  others  threatened,  and  all  had  been  alarmed. 
A  proposition  was  brought  before  the  Council  for  the  better 
protection  of  the  towns  in  Middlesex  County,  and  referred  to 
a  special  committee.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  order  of  the 
Council  was  dated  two  days  after  the  burning  of  Groton, 
though  it  was  probably  under  consideration  before  the  de- 
struction of  the  town  ;  but  the  report  made  by  the  committee 
was  written  a  fortnight  later.  The  particulars  of  this  propo- 
sition are  not  now  known ;  but  they  can  be  learned  infcrcn- 
tially  from  the  report,  which  is  as  follows  :  — 

Cambridge  28  im  1676 

In  Obediance  to  an  order  of  the  Honrd  Council,  march,  15th  167^  : 
appointing  us  whose  names  are  vnder  writtin,  as  a  comittee  to  consult 
y-  seuirall  townes  of  yc  County  of  middlesex,  with  reference  to  ye  best 
meanes  of  the  preseruation  of  our  outtownes  remote  houses  and 
farmes,  for  their  planting  and  security  from  yc  common  enemie.  We 
haueing  sent  to  ye  seuerall  townes  to  send  us  their  apprehentions  by 
some  one  mete  person  of  each  towne,  This  day  wee  consulted  con- 
cerning ye  same,  and  haue  concluded  to  propose  as  followeth  : 

i  :  That  ye  townes  of  Sudbury,  Concord  and  Chelmsford  be 
strengthened  with  forty  men  a  peice,  which  sd  men  are  to  be  im- 
proued  in  scouting  betwen  towne  and  towne,  who  are  to  be  comanded 
by  men  of  prudence,  courage  and  interest  in  yj  sd  townes  and  yc 
partys  in  each  towne  are  to  be  ordered  to  keepe  together  in  some 
place  comodious  in  y°  sd  townes,  and  not  in  garison  houses  :  and  these 
men  to  bee  vpon  ye  towne  charge  of  ye  country. 

2.  That  for  ye  security  of  Billerica  there  be  a  garison  of  a  number 
competent  at  Weymessitt  who  may  raise  a  thousand  bushells  of  come 


40  KING   PHILIP'S   WAR. 

vpon  ye  land  of  ye  Indians  in  that  place  may  be  improued  dayly  in 
scouting  and  ranging  ye  woods  betwen  Weymissitt  &  andeuor  and  on 
ye  west  of  concord  river  on  yu  east  &  north  of  Chelmsford,  which 
will  discouer  yc  enemie  before  hee  comes  to  ye  townes,  and  preuent 
lurking  indians'  about  our  townes.  Also  they  shalbee  in  a  readyness 
to  ye  succour  of  any  of  the  three  townes  at  any  time  when  in  distress, 
Also  shall  be  ready  to  joyne  with  others,  to  follow  ye  enemie,  vpon  a 
suddin  after  their  appearing. 

3  That  such  townes  as  lankester,  groaton  &  marlbourough  that  are 
forced  to  remoue  :  and  haue  not  some  aduantage  of  settlement  (pecu- 
liar) in  ye  bay,  be  ordered  to  settle  at  ye  frontire  townes  that  remain  for 
their  strengthening  :  and  ye  people  of  ye  said  townes  to  which  they 
are  appointed,  are  to  see  to  their  accomodations,  in  ye  sd  townes. 

4  :  That  ye  said  townes  haue  their  owne  men  returned,  that  are 
abroad,  and  their  men  freed  from  impress,  during  their  present  state. 

5  :  That  there  be  appointed  a  select  number  of  persons  in  each 
towne  of  midlesex  who  are  vpon  any  information  of  the  distress  of 
any  towne,  forthwith  to  repaire  to  the  releife  thereof  and  yl  such  in- 
formation may  be  seasonable,  the  townes  are  to  dispatch  posts,  each 
towne  to  ye  next,  till  notice  be  conueyed  ouer  ye  wholl  County,  if 
need  bee. 

And  in  reference  to  ye  line  of  stockadoes  or  stone  worke,  proposed 
to  or  serious  Consideration,  after  our  best  aduice  vpon  it,  it  is  con- 
ceived by  our  seines  and  by  all  ye  psons  sent  by  ye  seuerall  townes, 
That  it  is  not  aduisable,  for  ye  Reasons  following 

1.  The  excessiue  charge  to  effect  it,  maintaine  and  keepe  it,  the 
line  being  conceiued  by  those  that  know  it  best,  to  be  longer  than  is 
proposed,  neither  can  seuerall  ponds  fall  in  yc  said  line,  vnless  it  be 
run  so  crooked  that  it  wilbee  more  disadvantage  than  profit. 

2.  The  length  of  time  before  it  can  be  accomplished,  in  which  time 
it  is  to  be  feared  that  many  of  ye  townes  included,  wilbee  depopulated, 
vnless  other  meanes  preuent. 

3  the  damage  it  wilbe  in  taking  off  labourers,  which  in  this  season 
of  ye  year  had  need  be  improued  in  sowing  and  planting,  Help  in 
many  places  being  uery  scarce, 

ult :  ye  vselesness  of  it  when  it  is  done,  it  being  so  easy  a  matter  to 
break  thro'  it,  and  yc  Riuers  which  are  to  fence  a  great  part  of  these 
townes  are  fordable,  in  seuerall  places,  and  in  all  other  places  passable 


KING    PHILIP'S   WAR.  41 

by  rafts  &c.  which  is  much  in  vse  with  ye  indians  at  this  day.  we  might 
add  ye  great  discontent  and  murmuring  of  y°  people  in  general!  so 
farr  as  wee  haue  had  oppertunity  to  discourse  concerning  it.  That 
wee  fear  ye  imposing  of  such  a  thing,  would  effect  an  ill  consequence. 
These  things  considered  besids  seuerall  other  reasons  of  weight  that 
might  be  added,  cause  us  to  present  our  apprehentions  as  in  y1'  first 
place  wee  did  that  yc  drawing  of  this  line  at  this  time  is  not  aduisable. 
but  all  with  Humbles  submission  to  yor  Honr:s  in  ye  case. 
Yor  Humble  Seru"ts 

HUGH  MASON 
JONATHAN  DAX FORTH 
RICHARD  LOVVDEN 
[Endorsed] 

Returne  of  Midd.  coiiiittee.     28.   i.   1676. 
[Shattuck  Manuscripts  ] 

There  was  another  proposition  at  this  time  before  the 
Council,  somewhat  wider  in  its  scope  and  later  by  a  few  days 
in  its  date,  which  may  have  been  akin  to  the  one  just  men- 
tioned and  considered  by  this  committee,  although  it  relates 
in  no  way  to  Groton.  It  was  proposed  to  build  a  stockade  or 
stone  wall,  eight  feet  high*  from  the  Charles  River  to  the 
Concord,  —  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  more  or  less, —  as  a 
defence  again1  c  the  Indians.  This  line,  in  connection  with 
the  Concord  and  the  Merrimack  Rivers,  it  was  thought,  would 
form  a  barrier  against  the  savages,  and  protect  all  the  towns 
lying  within  the  district.  This  complicated  system  of  defence 
was  favored  by  the  Council,  and  deemed  sufficiently  feasible 
to  be  referred  to  a  board  of  twenty  commissioners,  appointed 
respectively  by  the  towns  most  interested  in  the  matter.  The 
document  giving  the  details  of  the  affair  is  as  follows  :  — 

At  a  Councill  held  in  Boston  23  Mrch   167^ 

Wheras  seueral  considerable  psons,  haue  made  aplication  to  vs  and 
proposed  it  as  a  very  nescesary  expedient  for  the  publike  welfare,  and 
particulerly  for  the  security  of  the  whole  county  of  Essex  &  a  great 
part  of  Midlesex  from  inroads  of  the  comon  enmy,  That  a  line  or 


42  KING   PHILIP'S    WAR. 

fence  of  stockadoes  or  stones  (as  the  matter  best  suteth)  to  be  made 
about  eight  foot  high;  extenede[n]g  from  Charles  Riuer,  where  it  is 
nauigable,  vnto  Concord  riuer  not  far  from  Georg  farley  house,  (lining 
in  Billerkey,)  which  fence  (as  yc  Councill  is  informed)  is  not  in  length 
aboue  twelue  miles  ;  a  good  part  wherof  is  allready  don  by  large 
ponds,  that  wil  conueniently  fal  in  the  line,  &  vpon  this  fence  seuerll 
inhabitants  belonging  to  watertown  Cambridge  Wooburne  &  Bilerekey, 
are  all  ready  seated  ;  (as  is  iudged  about  halfe  the  distance),  And 
vpon  Merrimack  riuer  on  the  west  side  are  planted  the  townes  of 
Andeuer,  Wamesit  Bradford  &  Nevvbury,  vnto  the  Sea,  &  vpon  Charles 
riuer  are  planted  part  of  Waterton  Cambridge  £  Charles  town  vnto 
the  bay ;  by  which  meanes  that  whole  tract  wilbe  enuironed,  for  the 
security  &  safty  (vnder  God)  of  the  people,  their  houses  goods  and 
cattel ;  from  the  rage  &  fury  of  the  enimy 

For  the  prosecuting  this  proposall,  to  effect,  (which  the  Council 
apprhend  is  of  Great  concernement.) 

It  is  ordered  that  the  Seueral  townes  that  fall  within  this  tract 
aboue  mentioned ;  vizt  Salem,  Charles  town,  Cambridge  Watertowne, 
Ipswich,  Xewbery,  Rowly,  Linne,  Andeuer,  Topsfield,  Reding,  Woo- 
burne, Maldon,  Billerekey,  Gloster,  Beuerly,  Wenham  Manchester 
Bradford  &  Meadford  ;  doe  each  of  them  choose  one  able  &  fitt  man 
as  their  commissioner  wch  comisioners  are  all  ordered  to  meet  at 
Cambridge  vpon  the  last  day  of  March  at  8  of  the  clock  in  the  morn- 
ing and  from  thence  pceed  (takeing  such  guides  &  helpes  as  are 
nesciary  and  take  an  exact  suruay  of  the  place  proposed  for  this  line 
and  to  offer  vnto  the  Councel  in  writing  an  expedient  how  the  same 
may  bee  prosecuted  &  effected  &  what  proportion  wil  fall  vnto  euery 
towne  included  w'hin  the  same  (wherin  respect  is  to  bee  ;  had  to  the 
quality  of  Estates  &  number  of  the  inhabitants,  within  the  said  townes, 
&  also  to  propose  wais  &  methoods  how  the  said  line  or  fence  shalbe 
made,  maintened  &  defended  ;  for  the  Ends  intended,  And  that  the 
Returne  to  [be]  made  to  the  Counsel  as  soone  as  may  bee 

And  the  Council  doe  further  declare  &  promise  that  they  are  & 
wilbe  ready  at  all  times  to  promote  &  incorage  this  Affayre,  and  to 
make  such  further  orders  &  giue  such  other  directions  as  may  best 
conduce  to  the  effectuall  prosecution  and  finishing  the  said  worke  : 
puided  all  wais  &  it  is  herby  intended  y*  all  charges  respecting  this 
affayre  bee  defrayed,  by  the  inhabitants  included  within  this  line  ac- 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  43 

cording  to  a  due  &  equal  proption ;  as  the  said  Comissioners  or  the 
greater  number  of  ym  shall  determine ;  and  this  order  is  to  bee  forth- 
with printed  &  sent  by  the  Secretary ;  to  the  Constables  &  select  men 
of  eny  of  y°  townes  aboue  named  to  bee  put  in  execution  accordingly 
By  y°  Council 

EDWD  RAWSON  Secrety 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXVIII.  174.] 

The  population  of  Groton  at  the  time  of  its  destruction  was 
about  three  hundred  inhabitants.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Hub- 
bard,  in  his  Narrative,  estimates  the  number  of  families  at 
sixty,  and  five  persons  to  a  family  may  be  considered  a  fair 
average.  The  same  authority  says  that  there  were  forty 
dwelling-houses,  besides  other  buildings,  burned  in  this  as- 
sault, and  only  fourteen  or  fifteen  houses  left  standing. 

Fortunately  the  loss  of  life  or  limb  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town  was  small,  and  it  is  not  known  that 
more  than  three  persons  were  killed  —  of  whom  one  was 
Timothy  Cooper,  and  another,  without  doubt,  John  Nutting  — 
and  three  wounded ;  two  were  made  prisoners,  of  whom  one 
escaped  from  the  savages  and  reached  Lancaster,  and  the 
other,  John  Morse,  was  ransomed. 

The  lot  of  these  early  settlers  was  indeed  hard  and  bitter ; 
they  had  seen  their  houses  destroyed  and  their  cattle  killed, 
leaving  them  nothing  to  live  on.  Their  alternative  now  was 
to  abandon  the  plantation,  which  they  did  with  much  sadness 
and  sorrow.  The  settlement  was  broken  up,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants scattered  in  different  directions  among  their  friends  and 
kindred. 

According  to  the  Reverend  Elias  Nason,  in  his  "  History  of 
the  Town  of  Dunstable,  Massachusetts  "  :  — 

HOUND  MEADOW  HILL,  in  the  northwesterly  section  of  the  town 
[Dunstable],  is  said  to  have  received  its  name  from  the  circumstance 
that  when  Groton  was  assaulted  by  the  Indians  during  Philip's  War, 
a  pack  of  hounds,  employed  by  the  English,  pursued  a  party  of 
the  savages  to  this  eminence,  on  which  two  of  them  were  slain. 
(Page  69.) 


44  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 


In  the  autumn  of  1879  the  town  of  Groton  erected  a  monu- 
ment to  commemorate  the  site  of  the  meeting-house  which 
was  burned  during  this  assault.  It  bears  the  following  in- 
scription :  — 

NEAR  THIS   SPOT 

STOOD   THE   FIRST   MEETING   HOUSE   OF    GROTON 

BUILT  IN  1666 

AND    BURNT    BY   THE    INDIANS 
13  MARCH  1676 

The  monument,  in  connection  with  two  others,  was  dedi- 
cated by  appropriate  exercises  in  the  Town  Hall,  on  February 
20,  1880,  when  an  historical  address  was  delivered,  and  sub- 
sequently printed. 

The  following  list  of  soldiers,  who  served  in  the  garrisons  at 
Groton  during  King  Philip's  War,  is  given  in  "  A  Journal 
appertaining  to  the  Colony  of  Mattachusits,"  kept  by  John 
Hull,  Treasurer  of  the  Colony,  and  now  in  the  library  of  the 
New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society.  The  respec- 
tive dates  refer  to  the  time  when  the  men  were  paid  in 
Boston,  and  not  necessarily  to  the  time  of  their  service.  The 
figures  writhin  the  parentheses  indicate  the  page  of  the  Jour- 
nal where  the  name  is  found. 

November  9,  1675. 

£  *•   <*• 

Samuel  Read  (54) or    16  oo 

John  Bush  (54) 03  07  08 

Samuel  Bull  (54)        02  04  06 

John  Largin  [Lakin  ?]  (54) 02  02  oo 

Timothy  Forgly  (54) 02  02  oo 

Samuel  Whitney  (54) oo  04  04 

November  30,  1675. 

Thomas  Chamberlain  (62) 02  09  08 

Jeremiah  Morse  (62) *** 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  45 


Thomas  Bancroft  (62) *»* 

John  Wood  (62) i    10     * 

Josiah  Wheler  (62) 02   12  02 

Hugh  Taylor  (62) 03  01   08 

Jacob  Dane  (62) 03  oo  oo 

David  Church  (62) 04   10  oo 

Shuball  Sternes  (62) 03  oo  oo 

Thomas  Wood  (62) 03  01  08 

William  Gill  (62) 03  07  08 

John  Hawes  (62) 01    10  oo 

Onesiphorus  Stanly  (62) 03  05  02 

John  Damon  (62) 03  01   08 

Daniel  Starling  (62)       03  03  04 

Jonathan  Sprague  (62) 03  oo  oo 

Thomas  Dunnell  (62) 03  oo  oo 

Jacob  Winslow  (62) 03  06  oo 

Pelatiah  Smith  (62) 03  oo  oo 

Thomas  Micheson  (63) 03  05  02 

December  20,  1675. 

John  Codington  (101)  .     .  01    15  02 

Jonathan  Parker  (101) 03  08  oo 

Ephraim  Bemish  (101).     .     .  030804 

Timothy  Frogly  ( 1 01 )    ...  011600 

JohnTedd  (101)       ....  03  06  oo 

Samuel  Hagar  (101)      .     .     .  °3  °6  °° 

Israel  Hill  (101) 02  06  02 

Daniel  Canada  (101)      .     .  °4   i°  oo 

Nathaniel  Domton  (101)    .     .     .  03  oo  oo 
Sebread  Taylor  (101)     .     .     . 

Thomas  Frost  (101)       .     .  03   12  oo 

Samuel  Allen  (101) 03  09  04 

William  Doule  (101)      .     .     .     . 
William  Halford  (101)  . 

January  25,  1675-6. 

Benjamin  Simons  (130)      .     .     . 

Lot  Johnson  (130) 03  oo  oo 


46  KING   PHILIP'S    WAR. 

Samuel  Bull  (130) 02  02  oo 

Samuel  Cleaveland  (130) 02  08  oo 

Daniel  Canada  (130) oo  18  oo 

Jacob  Dane  (130) oo   18  oo 

Jeremiah  Moss  (130) .     .     .  oo  06  oo 

Simon  Stone  (130) 03    18  oo 

Samuel  Hager  (130) oo   18  oo 

Fphraim  Bemis  (130) oo   12   oo 

Subaell  Stearnes  (130) 01    10  oo 

Thomas  Frost  (131) oo  07  oo 

Timothy  Frogly  (131) "000700 

David  Church  (131) 01   06  06 

February  29,  1675-6. 

Nath.  Hill  (154)  "Under Cap' Wheler& at Groton Garrison"  01    12    10 

Jonathan  Hill  (154) 011210 

Joseph  Foster  (154) 011210 

John  Waldo  (154) 011210 

Francis  Dudly  (154) 01    12    10 

Samuel  Fletcher,  Sen.  (154) 01   04  05 

Samuel  Fletcher,  Jr.  (154) 011210 

Eleazer  Brown  (154) 01    19  04 

Cyprian  Stevens  (154) oo   14  03 

Benjamin  Graves  (154) 01    19  04 

John  Bates  (154) 01    12    10 

Stephen  Goble  (154) 011210 

April  24,  1676. 

Thomas  Foster  (216) 03  oo  oo 

Elea/er  Ball  (216) oo  06  oo 

Jonath  Crisp  (216) 02    10  06 

Daniel  Adams  (216) oo  06   10 

June  24,  1676. 

Zachary  Crisp  (239) 02    15   08 

Mathias  Smith  (246) 01   06  06 

Nathaniel  Green  (246) or    12  06 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  47 

William  Clough  (246) 01  06  06 

John  Goff  (246) 01    ii  oo 

James  Chever  (246) 01    n  oo 

Edmund  Gage  (246) 01  06  06 

William  Bordman  (246) 01  02  03 

Benjamin  Graves  (246)      ." oo  10  oo 

John  Hands  (246) 01  06  06 

Morris  Trulove  (246) 01  06  06 

Joseph  Pollard  (246) 01    n  oo 

Moses  Wheat  (262) 02  08  oo 

Humphry  Millard  (262) oo  06  10 

Thomas  Region  (262) 02   14  oo 

Timothy  Cutler  (262) 02  08  08 

Richard  Griffeth  (262) 011600 

July  24,  1676. 

Richard  Pasmore  (338) 04  04  oo 

John  Bush  (338)        01   02  oo 

John  Potter  (338) 01  04  oo 

Symon  Willard  (338) oo  19  03 

In  the  early  spring  of  1678,  just  two  years  after  the  attack, 
the  old  settlers  returned  to  re-establish  the  town.  Undaunted 
by  their  bitter  experience,  they  came  back  to  begin  life  anew 
in  the  wilderness,  with  all  its  attendant  hardships.  It  does 
not  appear  that  the  inhabitants  were  molested  by  the  Indians 
during  this  period  to  any  great  degree,  but  they  were  by  no 
means  leading  lives  of  ease  or  security.  The  following 
petition  to  the  General  Court,  one  year  after  their  return  to 
the  old  settlement,  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  situation  and 
circumstances  :  — 

The  humble  petition  and  request  of  the  greatest  number  of  the  former 
inhabitants  of  yK  Towne  of  Groton 

Humbly  sheweth  to  the  Honored  Generall  Court  setting  in  Boston  : 
as  followeth  viz  : 

We  who  have  been  great  sufferers,  by  y°  hand  of  God,  in  the  late 


t 
48  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

Wars  by  our  heathenish  enemyes,  as  is  well  knowne  to  all :  &c  by 
which  we  haue  bine  enforced,  to  five  before  our  enimyes  ;  to  our  great 
&  greivous  losse.  <S:  trouble.  By  y-  good  hand  of  God  to  us.  haue  had 
so  much  repreaue,  &  respitt,  as  we  haue  many  of  us,  had  y  liberty  <.\: 
oppertunity,  to  returne  to  the  places,  though  not  y-  houses  of  our 
former  abode.  And  now  being  under  <$:  exercised  with  many  & 
great  difficultyes  ;  Apprehending  it  our  duty,  to  addresse  ourselues  ;  not 
onely  to  our  heavenly  father ;  butt  earthly  fathers  also,  in  this  time  01 
need  :  do  humbly  begg  our  case  may  be  seriously  considered,  & 
weighed,  &  that  some  direction,  and  releife  may  be  affoarded  unto 
us. 

Some  of  us  y-  Inhabitants  haue  ventured  :  our  lines  some  while 
since  to  returne  againe,  and  many  others  have  followed  us,  whose 
welcome  company  is  rejoycing  unto  us.  Vett  our  poverty.  &  the  non- 
residence  of  others,  doth  occation  us  great  and  unavoidable  trouble. 
We  haue  (through  Gods  goodnesse,  &  blessing  our  endeavours,  >.\: 
attempts)  procured  &  obtained  the  ministry  of  yc  word  amoung  us  ; 
&  haue  bin  at  some  considerable  charge  about  it.  And  are  willing  (i 
God  please)  to  keep,  &  maintaine,  it  among  us.  Butt  there  is  some 
discouragements,  upon  sundrey  accounts.  We  haue  had  seuerall 
towne  meetings  to  consult  the  good,  &  welfare  of  the  towne  &  place 
&  how  things  may  be  caried  on.  as  to  defraing  publiq  charges.  And  it 
hath  bin,  voated  in  our  meetings  (our  visible  estate  being  small)  to 
lay  it  on  ye  lands,  y1  so  an  equality  in  some  respect  might  be  reached 
unto.  This  is  by  ye  most  judged  to  be  the  present  best  yea  y-  onely 
present  possible  way  for  us  to  proceed  in.  which  we  desire  your 
honoured  selues  to  putt  yr  countenance  of  authority  upon.  As  also 
That  our  late  dredfull  suffering  mines,  and  impoverishments  may  by 
your  honoured  selues  be  so  fare  minded  «S:  considered,  that  we  may 
for  the  present  (till  we  a  litle  recover  ourselues)  be  releised  from 
Countrey  charges.  We  would  be  rightly  understood,  as  to  our  first 
request  That  the  way  by  lands  accomodations  for  the  levying  towne 
charges  may  be  stated  butt  for  y'-'  present  few  years,  till  God  by  his 
providence  may  alter  our  capacity  &  condition  :  Thus  craving  rjdone 
for  this  our  boldnesse  That  successe  &  a  blessing  may  Attend  you  in 
all  your  affaires  ;  That  God  will  accomplish  his  promises  <S:  built  ye 
wast  places,  sett  up  his  house  &  ordinances  whence  they  have  been 
removed  delight  to  build.  &  plant  us  againe,  «S;  not  to  pull  us  downe  & 


KING   PHILIP'S   WAR.  49 

pluck  us  up  That  we  may  yett  see  This  our  Jerusalem  a  quiett  habita- 
tion   Thus  prayeth  your  humble  &  unworthy  petitioners  : 

Alt  A  towne  meeting  at  Groton  JAMES  PARKER 

May  20'!'  1679  Ther  red  &  voated  Select  man 

by  the  inhabitants  :  And  clarke  in  yc 

name  of  yc  rest. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXIX.  224.] 

It  answr  to  this  Pet"  It  is.  ordered  by  this  Court  f  for  3  :  yeares 
next  comeing  in  all  levyes  made  for  y°  benefit  of  yc  s'1  place  &  y° 
maintenance  of  Gods  ordinances  there,  those  y'  haue  lands  there  & 
are  not  ressid'  upon  ye  place  shall  pay  rates  for  yr  Lands  ther  as  those 
do  y'  are  ressid'  and  y'  the  Inhabitants  ther  ressid'  be  abated  one  single 
rate  pr  ann.  to  y°  country  for  ye  like  times  The  magists  haue  past  this 
their  brethren  the  deputyes  hereto  consenting 

EDWD  RAWSON  Secre' 

29th  May  1679 

The  deputs  Consent  hereto  provided  that  the  cattle  vpon  the  place 
be  lyable  to  pay  rates  also  wth  refferrence  to  the  consent  of  or  Honr0(1 
magistrs  hereto 

WILLIAM  TORREY  Cleric. 

30th  May  1679     Consented  to  by  the  magists 

EDWU  RAWSON  Secret. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXIX.  229.] 

Captain  James  Parker  was  the  town-clerk  during  the  years 
1678  and  1679,  and  in  the  early  history  of  Groton  was  with- 
out question  its  most  influential  inhabitant.  The  following 
letter  among  the  Shattuck  Manuscripts,  written  by  him  a  year 
after  the  destruction  of  the  town,  would  seem  to  show  that 
he  was  then  living  in  Chelmsford,  where  Major  Henchman's 
farm  was  situated  :  — 

From  Mr  hinchmanes  ffarme  ncr  mercmack :  23:   i'"°  i6f§ 

To  the  Honred  Gouner  and  Counsell  thes  may  informe  youer 
honeres  that  Sagemore  Wanalanset  Came  this  morning  to  informe 
me,  and  then  went  to  Mr  tinges  to  informe  him  that  his  son  being  one 

4 


50  KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 

ye  outher  sid  of  meremack  Riuer  :  a  hunting  with  his  Dauter  with  him 
up  the  Riuer  ouer  against  Souhegan  upon  the  :  22  day  of  this  instant 
about  tene  of  the  clock  in  yc  morning  :  he  Discoured  1 5  Indens  on 
this  sid  the  Riuer  which  he  soposed  to  be  Mohokes  by  ther  spech  he 
caled  to  them  thay  answared  but  he  culd  not  understand  ther  spech : 
and  he  hauing  a  Conow  ther  in  the  Riuer  he  went  to  breck  his  conow 
that  thay  might  not  haue  ani  ues  of  it,  in  yj  mene  time  thay  shot  about 
thurty  gunes  at  him  and  he  being  much  frighted  fled  and  came  home 
forth  with  to  nahamcok  wher  ther  wigowemes  now  stand 
not  Eles  at  Present  but  but  \_sic~\  I 

Remain  your  saruan  to  Cofnand 

JAMES  PARKER 

Red  9.  night  answered  24  :  march.  76 

[Superscription] 

To  the  Honred  Gouurner 
and  Counesuell  att 

Bostoun 
hast  post  hast 


CHAPTER   II. 


KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 


I. 

AFTER  King  Philip's  War  the  colonists  were  at  peace  with 
the  Indians,  but  it  was  a  suspicious  kind  of  peace.  It  re- 
quired watching  and  a  show  of  strength  to  keep  it;  there  was 
no  good-will  between  the  native  race  and  the  white  intruders. 
The  savages  at  best  made  bad  neighbors  ;  they  were  treacher- 
ous and  addicted  to  drink.  The  following  entries  in  the  town 
records  show  that  they  were  a  shiftless  and  drunken  set :  - 

Jnneuary  31  1681  It  [was]  agred  upon  by  the  select  men  That 
the  Indanes  shall  be  warned  out  of  the  Toune  forth  with  and  if  the 
shall  neiglect  the  warning  and  if  any  of  them  be  taken  drounke  or  in 
drinke  or  with  drinke  Then  these  parsons  ar  to  be  sezecl  and  brout  be 
foure  the  select  men  either  by  counstable  or  by  any  other  parson  and 
be  pounesed  accordin  as  the  law  doth  direct  and  the  Informar  shall 
be  sattised  for  his  paines 

March  28  1682  two  Indian  squaws  being  apprehended  In  drinke 
&  with  drinke  brought  to  y°  select  men  one  squaw  Nehatchechin  swaw 
being  drouncke  was  sentanced  to  receive  &  did  receive  ten  stripes 
the  other  John  Nasquuns  sway  was  sentanced  to  pay  3s  4''  cash  and 
loose  her  two  quart  bottle  and  the  Liquour  in  it  awarded  to  Sarg:u  Laken 
who  seized  them. 


52  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

Captain  Francis  Nicholson,  writing  from  Boston  to  London, 
August  31,  1688,  speaks  of  the  feeling  here  at  that  time.  He 
says : — 

Att  night  [August  19]  I  came  to  Dunstable  (about  30  miles  from 
hence)  from  thence  I  sent  two  English  men  and  an  Indian  to  Pene- 
cooke  being  sixty  miles  up  the  river  Merymeck  ;  the  men  told  me  they 
should  be  3  dayes  in  doeing  of  it ;  soe  next  day  I  went  through  Groton 
and  Lancaster,  where  the  people  were  very  much  afraid  (being  out 
towns)  butt  I  told  them  as  I  did  other  places,  that  they  should  nott  be 
soe  much  cast  down,  for  that  they  had  the  happinesse  of  being  subjects 
of  a  victorious  King,  who  could  protect  them  from  all  their  enemies. 

[Documents  relating  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
IH.55I-] 

Dunstable  was  formerly  a  very  large  township,  and  its  orig- 
inal territory  now  includes  several  towns,  lying  mostly  in  New 
Hampshire.  The  earliest  settled  parts  of  it  come  within  the 
present  limits  of  Nashua. 

The  following  letter  is  preserved  among  the  Shattuck  Man- 
uscripts, and  shows  that  the  condition  of  the  town  was  still 
unsettled.  It  gives  in  a  few  words  a  good  insight  of  the  situ- 
ation of  affairs  at  the  time  :  — 

GROTON,  July:  16.  1689 

To  the  honred  Gouner  and  councell  and  Representiues  :  thes  Lins 
shew  the  Request  of  your  humbell  sarunts  the  inhabtants  of  the  towne 
of  groton  and  ouer  presant  unsetled  and  almost  destrected  condition ; 
we  mack  bold  to  troubell  you  once  more  ;  craning  youer  aduice  and 
asistanc  if  it  may  be  obtained  that  we  may  go  on  with  ouer  bisnes  ; 
to  gat  in  our  haruest  and  do  other  nessary  worke  :  the  barer  heare  of 
James  Knop  and  James  Parker  Junr  are  fuly  abell  to  aquaint  the 
honred  councell  ouer  conditon  boath  in  miletary  &  other  cases  ;  in  the 
towne ;  ouer  ofesers  are  by  the  new  choice 

James  Parker  sener  cap' 
Jonas  Prescot  Lef 
John  Lacken  ensin. 
*$  order  of  the  towne  of  groton 
JOSIAH  PARKER,  dark. 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  53 

July.  17.  1689.  The  comission  officrs  nominated  as  above  are 
allowed  &  confirmed  by  ye  Govr  &  Counsell.  and  they  do  order  Cap' 
Prout  to  deliver  unto  James  Knop  and  James  Parker  for  yc  use  of  s ' 
Town  forty  pounds  of  powder  and  one  hundred  weight  of  Lead  taking 
their  bill  to  repay  it  again  into  ye  stoar  in  some  Convenient  time.  & 
do  also  appoynt  y°  Major  of  ye  Low'  Regim'  of  yl  Comd  to  order  yc 
Impressing  of  ten  soldiers  in  a  meet  proportio  out  of  ye  seurall  com- 
panyes  under  his  couiand.  to  be  sent  as  soone  as  may  be  for  their 
releife. 

By  order  of  ye  Govr  &  Councill 

IsA  ADDINGTON,  Secry. 

[Endorsed] 

Groton  Military  Officers,  past  1 7?  July.  89. 

The  military  company  of  the  town  was  still  kept  up,  and 
known  as  the  Foot  Company;  and,  during  a  part  of  the  year 
1689,  was  supported  by  some  cavalry  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Jacob  Moore.  James  Parker,  Sen.,  was  appointed 
the  captain  of  it;  Jonas  Prescott,  the  lieutenant;  and  John 
Lakin,  the  ensign ;  and  these  appointments  were  confirmed 
by  the  governor  and  council,  at  a  convention  held  in  Boston, 
July  13,  1689.  A  month  later,  August  10,  Captain  Parker 
was  ordered  to  supply  Hezekiah  Usher's  garrison  at  Nonacoi- 
cus  with  "  three  men  of  the  men  sent  up  thither  or  of  the 
Town's  people  for  ye  defence  of  yl  Garrison  being  of  publique 
concernment."  Groton  was  one  of  the  four  towns  that  were 
designated,  August  29,  as  the  headquarters  of  the  forces  de- 
tached for  the  public  service  against  the  common  enemy  — 
Casco,  Newichewanick  (Berwick),  and  Haverhill  being  the 
others.  The  Middlesex  Upper  Regiment  and  the  Suffolk 
Horse  were  stationed  here ;  and  soon  afterward  is  recorded 
an  order  to  send  "  to  the  head  Quarter  at  Groton  for  supply 
of  the  Garrison  there  one  Thousand  weight  of  Bread,  one 
barrell  of  Salt,  one  barrell  of  powder  three  hundred  weight  of 
Shott,  and  three  hundred  fflints,  Six  quire  of  Paper."  Eleven 
troopers  were  sent  to  this  post,  September  17,  under  Cornet 


54  KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR. 

John  Chubbuck,  in  order  to  relieve  Corporal  Ebenezer  White 
and  his  command ;  a  fortnight  later  Cornet  Chubbuck  was 
succeeded  by  John  Pratt.  (Archives,  LXXXI.  24,  60,  63,  67, 
74,  Si.)  The  commissary  of  the  post  at  this  time  was  Jona- 
than Remington,  who  seems  to  have  had  but  little  duty  to 
perform.  Shortly  afterward,  the  order  came  from  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  to  discharge  him,  as  well  as  Captain  Moore 
and  his  company  of  cavalry,  from  the  public  service.  The 
record  is  as  follows  :  — 

Upon  information  there  is  but  little  work  for  a  Comissary  at  Groton 
the  Representatives  do  agree  &  order  that  the  Comissary  there  ;  be 
discharged  from  said  Imploymen' : 

Ordered  by  the  Representatives  That  Capt'1L:  Jaccob  Moore  wth  his 
Company  at  Groton  be  forth  wth  drawne  off  and  discharged  desireing 
the  Honrd  Govr  &  Councill  Consent 

Novembr ;  6th:   1689:  EBENEZER  PROUT  Clerk 

Consent'1  to  by  the  Govr 
&  Councill 

1st  ADDINGTON  Secry 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXXV.  71,  73.] 

Jeremy  Sweyne  writes,  from  "  Berwick  att  Salmon  falls 
Octobr  15.  89,"- 

Capt.  Wiswell  with  ye  biggest  part  of  his  part  of  his  company 
scouted  up  westward  into  ye  chestnut  woods  4  dayes  but  found  none 
of  ye  enimy  nor  yet  where  yy  haue  lately  binn,  it  is  supposed  yl  small 
party  of  Indians  may  be  in  ye  chestnut  cuntry  beyond  Groaton,  .  .  . 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXXV.  56.] 

John  Paige,  of  Groton,  went  in  the  expedition  to  Canada, 
in  the  year  1690,  under  Major  Wade;  he  was  wounded  in  the 
left  arm,  and  did  not  entirely  recover  for  two  years.  His  sur- 
geon's bill,  amounting  to  seven  pounds,  was  paid  out  of  the 
public  treasury.  The  petition  in  his  behalf,  now  among  the 
Shattuck  Manuscripts,  is  as  follows  :  — 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  55 

To  his  Excellency  S"  William  Pliips  Knight  Cap"  Generall  and  Gor- 
ernour  in  chiefe  of  their  Maj'1"  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay 
in  New  England,  and  Honrd  Council  and  Representatives  thereof 
now  assembled  in  Generall  Court  sitting  att  Boston  ffebruary  23' 
169! 

The  petition  of  John  Paige  of  Groton  for  himself  and  in  behalf  of 
his  son  John  Paige  who  was  a  souldier  under  the  comand  of  Major 
Wade  in  the  Late  Expedition  to  Canada  against  y°  coition  enemy 

Humbly  Shevveth  That  yor  Petitiors  son  the  s'1  John  Paige  att 
Canada  received  a  Grevious  wound  in  his  left  arme,  of  which  after 
his  returne  home  he  lay  lame  undr  the  Chyrurgeons  hand  for  the 
Space  of  Twelve  months  and  upwards,  before  he  gatt  cure,  and 
after  he  gatt  cure  was  a  twelve  month  more  before  he  could  doe  or 
performe  any  reasonable  bodily  Labour  to  procure  himself  a  Lively 
hood. 

That  Yor  Petition"  sons  cure  came  to  Seaven  pounds  wch  yor  Peti- 
tior  undertooke  the  payment  of  to  the  Chyrurgeon,  and  of  whdl  he  hath 
only  recli  from  the  country  thirty  shillings,  wch  was  soe  much  allowd 
and  ordered  by  the  Comittee  formerly  appointed  to  Inspect  yc  affaires 
of  Canada  wounded  men,  his  Son  being  att  that  time  under  cure,  butt 
not  cured  till  a  very  Considerable  time  aftr  and  soe  had  said  thirty 
shillings  allowed  him  for  payment  of  ye  Chyrurgeon  for  what  he  had 
done  to  that  time 

Now  Forasmuch  as  yor  Petitior  hath  formerly  made  Applycation  to 
yor  Excy  and  this  honri1  Court  referring  to  yc  premisses  Butt  nothing 
hither  haveing  therein  been  done,  yett  hopes  you  will  not  deale  by 
his  son  worse  then  by  others  of  ye  wounded  men. 

Yor  Petitior  Therefore  for  himself  and  in  behalf  of  his  said  son 
humbly  Entreats  yor  Exccy  and  this  honrd  Court  to  take  yc  premisses 
into  consideracofi.  and  that  you  will  please  to  allow  and  order  unto  yor 
petition'  the  remainder  of  sd  moneys  for  the  cure  of  his  son,  as  also 
that  you  will  please  to  allow  unto  his  son  Such  compensation  for  the 
loss  of  his  time  and  for  payment  of  his  Dyatt  during  the  continuance 
of  his  aforesd  lameness,  as  to  yor  wisdoms  shall  seeme  most  meet  & 
requisite. 

And  yor  Petition'  as  in 

duty  bound  Shall  ever  pray 

JOHN  PAIGE 


56  KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR. 

This  may  certifie  that  John  Paige  Sone  of  the  Petition'  was  under 
the  hands  of  me  Jonathan  Prescott  Chyrurgeon  above  a  twelve  months 
time,  and  that  his  cure  pformed  by  me  came  to  seaven  pounds 

JONATHAN  PRESCOTT 

voted  that  John  Page  Junr  son  of  the  Petition"  shall  for  the  payment 
of  the  Chirurgion  and  Dyet  Dureing  the  time  of  his  Cure  Receive  out 
of  the  publicque  treasury  of  this  province  Twelve  pounds  deducting 
out  of  s'1  suiTie  what  he  has  all  ready  Reced  :  passed  in  the  Affirmative 
by  the  House  Re.  NATH  :  BYFIELD  Speaker 

[Endorsed] 

John  Paige  of  Groton  his  petition 
1693  27  febr     Vof.1  in  Council  £.   12.  to  be  pd  deducting  &:c. 

Anything  relating  to  the  brave  men  who  suffered  in  the 
Indian  wars  is  now  of  interest,  and  I  offer  no  apology  for 
giving  incidents  that  may  to  some  persons  seem  trivial. 

Cotton  Mather  mentions,  in  his  Magnalia,  a  few  instances 
of  "  mortal  wounds  upon  the  English  not  proving  mortal,"  and 
gives  the  case  of  an  inhabitant  of  this  town  who  was  in  a  gar- 
rison at  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  when  that  place  \vas  as- 
saulted, July  4,  1690.  He  says  :  — 

It  is  true,  that  one  Simon  Stone  being  here  Wounded  with  Shot  in 
Nine  several  places,  lay  for  Dead  (as  it  was  time  !)  among  the  Dead. 
The  Indians  coming  to  Strip  him,  attempted  with  Two  several  Blows 
of  an  Hatchet  at  his  Neck  to  cut  off  his  Head,  which  Blows  added  you 
may  be  sure,  more  Enormous  Wounds  unto  those  Port-holes  of  Death, 
at  which  the  Life  of  the  poor  Man  was  already  running  out  as  fast  as 
it  could.  Being  charged  hard  by  Lieutenant  Bancroft  they  left  the 
Man  without  Scalping  him ;  and  the  English  now  coming  to  Bury  the 
Dead,  one  of  the  Soldiers  perceived  this  poor  Man  to  fetch  a  Gasp  ; 
whereupon  an  Irish  Fellow  then  present,  advised  'em  to  give  him 
another  Dab  with  an  Hatchet,  and  so  Bury  him  with  the  rest.  The 
English  detesting  this  Barbarous  Advice,  lifted  up  the  Wounded  Man, 
and  poured  a  little  Fair  Water  into  his  Mouth  at  which  he  Coughed  ; 
then  they  poured  a  little  Strong  Water  after  it,  at  which  he  opened 
his  Eyes.  The  Irish  Fellow  was  ordered  now  to  hale  a  Canoo  ashore 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  57 


to  carry  the  Wounded  Men  up  the  River  unto  a  Chirurgeon  ;  and  as 
Teague  was  foolishly  pulling  the  Canoo  ashore  with  the  Cock  of  his 
Gun,  while  he  held  the  Muzzle  in  his  Hand,  his  Gun  went  off  and 
broke  his  Arm,  whereof  he  remains  a  Cripple  to  this  Day :  But 
Simon  Stone  was  thoroughly  Cured,  and  is  at  this  Day  a  very  Lusty 
Man ;  and  as  he  was  Born  with  Two  Thumbs  on  one  Hand,  his 
Neighbours  have  thought  him  to  have  at  least  as  many  Hearts  as 
Thumbs  /"  (Book  VII.  page  74.) 

Many  families  who  have  lived  in  Groton  trace  back  their 
line  of  descent  to  this  same  Simon  Stone,  who  \vas  so  hard  to 
kill,  and  to  whom,  fortunately,  the  finishing  "  Dab  with  an 
Hatchet "  was  not  given. 

Occasionally  the  early  settlers  gave  Christian  names  to  the 
savages  living  in  their  neighborhood,  perhaps  with  some 
baptismal  rite.  These  names  were  used  in  connection  with 
their  Indian  ones,  though  sometimes  followed  by  the  word 
"  Indian  "  as  a  surname.  Instances  of  this  custom  are  not 
uncommon.  The  following  certificates  of  Josiah  Parker,  the 
town-clerk,  relate  to  Jacob  Nonantinooah,  or  Jacob  Indian, 
who  had  been  living  in  the  vicinity.  From  the  official  posi- 
tion of  the  writer  they  were  of  considerable  authority :  — 

Josiah  Parker  of  Groton  testifyes  that  he  is  very  well  acquainted 
vvth  ye  Indian  now  in  prison  named  Jacob  Nonantinooah  &  that  he 
Can  say  of  his  certain  knowledge  y'  he  hath  seen  him  every  month 
since  ye  last  Indian  warr  began,  except  it  was  when  he  ye  said  Jacob 
was  in  ye  Countrey  service  under  ye  Cofnand  of  Capt"  Noah  Wiswall 
in  the  years  Eighty  nine  &  Ninety  :  allso  if  he  be  required  he  Can 
produce  severall  y'  Can  testify  ye  same  Hee  further  saith  that  as  far 
as  it  is  possible  to  know  an  Indian  he  is  a  friend  to  the  English  <N: 
hath  manifested  the  same  both  in  word  an  Action  &  whereas  severall 
of  ye  Inhabitants  of  Groton  have  been  out  in  ye  woods  on  hunting 
they  have  taken  this  said  Jacob  w'l1  them  who  in  y°  night  hath  showne 
his  Care  more  then  any  of  them  in  his  watchfullness  :  expressing  him- 
selfe  to  them  that  it  did  Concerne  him  so  to  do,  for  if  they  were  Sur- 
prized by  ye  enemy  Indians  he  should  be  worse  dealt  w1!1  then  the 
English :  also  many  other  Instances  might  be  mentioned  : 

JOSIAH  PARKER 


58  KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

GROTON  Decmbr.  81!1  1691 

The  testomoneys  of  Josiah  Parker  aged.  36  :  years  :  and  of  Joseph 
Parker  aged  40  yeres  :  Thomas  Tarball  aged.  25  :  years  or  there 
abouts ;  testify  concarning  Jacob  Indein  now  in  prison  ;  that  the  two 
winters  last  past  yc  sa  Jacob  has  bin  gineraly  in  owr  tovvne  with  his 
famely  Except  when  he  was  out  a  hunting  and  then  the  s'1  Joseph 
Parker  or  s'1  Tarball  were  out  with  him  or  soni  other  Inglesh  men  who 
have  geeuen  sd  Jacob  a  good  coment  as  to  his  care  and  wachfulnes  as 
to  yc  enemy  boath  by  night  and  day  and  by  the  best  inquiery  that  we 
can  make  s'1  Jacob  has  never  bin  out  a  hunting  aboue  once  without 
som  English  Companey  with  him  &  then  he  was  not  gon  aboue  a 
fortnight  and  that  was  about  two  years  sence  ;  the  which  if  caled  too 
am  redy  too  testify  upon  oath  pr  me 

JOSIAH  PARKER 

GROTON  Decmbr.  8th.  1691 

Concarning  the  man  that  has  accuesed  the  Indeins  in  prison  he  is 
a  man  litell  to  be  credeted  for  on  the  :  2th  day  of  this  Instent  at 
Euening  :  Let'1  Boweres  and  :  I  :  at  Mr.  Sumers'is  at  charlestowne 
discorsing  him  namly  Abraham  Miller  about  yc  s'1  Indeins :  and, 
teling  him  that  he  was  mistaken  for  thes  Indeins  ware  not  at  Canedy 
at  that  time  when  he  charged  them  ;  s'1  Miller  sd  Zoundes  that  if  ever 
he  saw  them  Indens  again  out  of  prison  he  would  kill  them  :  and 
being  a  litell  cautioned  to  be  sober  minded  he  broke  out  with  an  oath 
that  if  he  ware  but  out  of  ye  countrey  himselfe  ;  he  wished  the  In- 
deins would  knock  out  ye  braines  of  every  person  in  New  england. 
This  was  spok  before  Mr  Sumers  &  his  wife  and  severall  outliers  ;  yc 
s'1  person  being  asked  whether  he  ware  not  in  a  passion  sometime 
after  he  Replyed  no  he  was  of  yc  same  mind  still  that  if  he  ware  out 
of  y°  countrey  he  did  not  care  if  all  the  Rest  ware  knocked  their 
braines  out  —  to  which  if  caled  to  am  redy  too  testify  upon  oath. 
Pr  me 

JOSIAH  PARKER 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  323.] 

Thirteen  chapters  of  a  history  of  the  town  were  published 
in  the  "  Groton  Herald"  between  December  12,  1829,  and 
July  3,  1830.  of  which  Mr.  Butler  wrote  the  first  eleven,  and 
Mr.  Lemuel  Shattuck  the  other  two  chapters.  The  following 


KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 


59 


extract  is  taken  from  the  last  one,  which   appeared    in   tin 
issue  of  July  3  :  — 

For  many  years  subsequent  to  this  period,  the  system  which  had 
been  followed  in  1675  and  6,  of  settling  in  garrisons  for  protection 
against  the  Indians,  was  continued.  From  an  account  of  the  "  settle- 
ment of  the  garrisons  in  the  west  regiment  of  Middlesex,"  the  follow- 
ing, relating  to  Groton,  is  extracted  and  is  valuable. 

Groton,  Afarcli  i  7///,  1691-2 
Ensign  Jno.  Lakin  and 
Jno.  Paris, 

Widdow  Blood,  Junr. 
William  Sanders, 

Jno.  Lakin,  10  men. 

Nathaniel  Blood, 
Jno.  Alexander, 
Benjamin  Palmer  and 
their  familys. 


Capt.  [James]  Parker  and 
Samuel  Parker, 
James  Parker, 
Zac.  Parker, 
William  Longley, 
Jno.  Nutting, 
Thomas  Tarbell, 
James  Robinson, 
James  Nutting,  and 
their  familys. 

Enosh  Lawrence 
Lieut.  Lakin  and  3  sons, 
Joseph  Lawrence, 
Samuel  Walmer, 
James  Blood, 
Jno.  Shadock, 
Samuel  Kemp, 
Daniel  Barney  and 
their  familys. 


f  1 1  men. 


13  men. 


60  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

Lt.  [Jonas]  Prescott  and 
Nathaniel  Lawrence, 
James  Knop, 
Elias  Barnes, 
Samuel  Scripture, 
Ephraim  Filbrook, 
Daniel  Peirce, 
Jno.  Barnes, 
Steven  Holding, 
Jno.  Perrum, 
Samuel  Davis  and 
their  familys. 
widdow  Sawtle  with 
y"'. 

Jno.  Davis, 

Nicholas  Cade, 

Cornelius  Church, 

Jno.  Cade, 

Joseph  Cade, 

Joshua  Whitting,  [Whitney] 

Joshua  Whitting,  Junr.  [Whitney] 

Peleg  Lawrence, 

Jonathan  Lawrence, 

James  Fisk, 

Samuel  Fisk, 

Robert  Robin  and 

their  familys.     In  all  31  men. 


Jno.  Farnsworth  and 
Mathew  Farnsworth, 
Benjamin  Farnsworth,  ' 
Samuel  Farnsworth, 
Widdow  Farnsworth, 
Simon  Stone, 
Jno.  Stone, 

Nicholas  Hutchins  and 
their  familys. 


KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 


6 1 


At  Mr.  Hezekiah  Usher's  farm. 
Samuel  Bennet,  ^ 

Bennet,  and        ^5  men. 
Three  Souldiers. 

(91  men.) 

The  "  Whitting's  "  names  are  wrongly  spelt.  They  should  have  l)een 
Whitney.  They  and  many  other  of  these  families  were  from  Water- 
town.  Their  sister  Ruth,  the  widow  of  Mr.  John  Shattuck,  who  was 
drowned  in  Charlestown  Ferry  in  1675,  anc^  tne  mother  of  the  Shat- 
tuck families  in  Groton  and  Pepperell,  married  Enosh  Lawrence/ 
Several  curious  facts  might  be  related  concerning  many  of  these 
families,  were  it  consistent  with  the  time  and  object  of  this  communi- 
cation. Could  not  the  location  of  each  of  these  eight  garrisons  be 
ascertained  ? 

Mr.  Butler  prints  this  list  of  garrisons  in  his  History  (page 
91),  and  gives  an  additional  one  between  Enosh  Lawrence's 
and  Jonas  Prescott's,  as  follows :  — 

William  Green  and 
John  Lawrence, 
Abigail  Parker,  widow, 
Joshua  Wheat, 
Samuel  Church, 
Joseph  Parker, 
John  Greene, 
Daniel  Cady, 
John  Page  and  sons, 
Samuel  Woods,  sen., 
Thomas  Woods,  and 
their  families. 


ii 

men. 


This  garrison  was  omitted  from  Mr.  Shattuck's  list,  probably 
by  an  oversight;  and  the  "  11  men"  are  needed  to  make  up 
the  sum  total  of  "91  men."  It  would  gratify  curiosity  to 
know  the  sites  of  these  several  garrison-houses,  and  where 
each  family  lived ;  but  this  can  be  stated  only  in  a  general 
and  imperfect  manner. 


62  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

Ensign  John  Lakin,  and  the  families  named  with  him,  are 
believed  to  have  lived  in  that  part  of  the  town  known  as 
Nod,  and  the  outlying  district. 

Captain  James  Parker's  land  lay,  in  part,  on  both  sides  of 
the  present  Main  Street,  and  his  house  stood  near  the  site 
of  the  Town  Hall.  The  persons  named  with  him  lived,  mostly, 
in  the  northerly  part  of  the  village. 

Enosh  Lawrence,  and  those  associated  with  him,  occupied 
the  northerly  part  of  the  town. 

Lieutenant  Jonas  Prcscott's  house-lot  was  at  the  southerly 
end  of  the  village,  and  those  in  the  garrison  with  Prescott 
lived  near  by. 

John  Davis  and  his  associates  dwelt  in  the  southeasterly 
part  of  the  town,  on  the  "  Great  Road  "  to  the  Ridges. 

John  Farnsworth  and  the  others  with  him  lived  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town. 

Hezekiah  Usher's  farm  was  at  Nonacoicus,  now  included 
in  the  town  of  Aycr.  Usher's  will,  on  file  in  the  Suffolk 
County  Probate  Office,  is  dated  Nonacoicus,  April  17,  1689. 
He  had  married  the  widow  of  President  Hoar,  of  Harvard 
College,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Lisle,  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  Great  Seal,  under  Cromwell ;  but  the  mar- 
riage was  not  a  happy  one.  She  left  him  and  went  to  England 
in  the  year  1687,  and  did  not  return  until  after  his  death, 
which  took  place  at  Lynn  on  July  II,  1697.  1°  his  w^ 
he  refers  very  plainly  to  his  domestic  troubles,  and  bitterly 
blames  his  absent  wife. 

William  Green  lived  near  the  site  of  Lawrence  Academy ;  and 
those  with  him,  southerly  and  easterly  of  this  neighborhood. 

During  this  period  the  Indians  began  again  to  be  trouble- 
some, and  for  the  next  fifteen  or  twenty  years  continued  their 
occasional  depredations  by  murdering  the  inhabitants,  burn- 
ing their  houses,  destroying  their  crops,  or  killing  their  cattle. 
Into  these  garrison-houses  the  neighboring  families  gathered 
at  night,  where  they  were  guarded  by  armed  men  who 
warned  the  inmates  of  any  approach  of  danger. 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  63 

David  Jeffries,  writing  from  Boston,  September  16,  1692,  to 
Lieutenant-Governor  John  Usher,  says  :  - 

•  •  ye  14th  Inst  at  night  a  Post  came  to  towne  fro  Major  Hinrksman, 
wch  gave  an  ace"  of  about  80  or  100  Indians,  y'  our  scouts  had  made 
discovery  of  in  y°  night  siting  j>  theire  fires  hammering  of  slugs  for 
theire  gunns  our  scouts  was  soe  neare  them  y1  they  could  see  y'  Indi- 
ans &  heare  them  talke,  yesterday  morning  we  had  news  y1  yc  Indians 
had  killd  two  men  at  Groton  Jera  :  Bowers  is  gone  out  wt!l  about 
100  men  after  them.  .  .  . 

The  letter  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  William  Lloyd 
Jeffries,  of  Boston. 

A  few  weeks  later  James  Blood  was  killed  by  the  "  French 
and  Indian  enemy"  on  October  13,  1692,  according  to  Mr. 
Lemuel  Shattuck,  in  his  Shattuck  Memorials  (page  78).  Mr. 
Butler  mentions  the  fact,  but  does  not  give  the  date.  Possi- 
bly there  is  an  error  in  regard  to  the  time,  and  Blood  may 
have  been  one  of  the  men  killed,  as  mentioned  by  David 
Jeffries. 

At  times  troops  were  stationed  here  by  the  Colonial  au- 
thorities for  the  protection  of  the  town ;  and  the  orders  and 
counter-orders  to  the  small  garrison  tell  too  well  that  danger 
was  threatening.  In  the  mean  while  King  William's  \Var 
was  going  on ;  and  the  enemy  had  material  and  sympathetic 
aid  from  the  French  in  Canada.  The  second  attack  on 
the  town  came  in  the  summer  of  1694,  and  the  accounts 
of  it  I  prefer  to  give  in  the  words  of  contemporary  writers. 
Sometimes  there  are  discrepancies,  but,  in  the  main,  such 
narratives  are  trustworthy. 

The  attack  was  made  on  Friday,  July  27,  and  Cotton 
Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  thus  refers  to  it:  — 

Nor  did  the  Storm  go  over  so  :  Some  Drops  of  it  fell  upon  the 
Town  of  Groton,  a  Town  that  lay,  one  would  think,  far  enough  oft"  the 
Place  where  was  the  last  Scene  of  the  Tragedy. 

On  July  27.  [1694,]  about  break  of  Day  Groton  felt  some  sur- 
prizing Blows  from  the  Indian  Hatchets.  They  began  their  Attacks 


64  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

at  the  House  of  one  Lieutenant  Lakin,  in  the  Out-skirts  of  the  Town  ; 
but  met  with  a  Repulse  there,  and  lost  one  of  their  Crew.  Never- 
theless, in  other  Parts  of  that  Plantation,  (when  the  good  People 
had  been  so  tired  out  as  to  lay  down  their  Military  IVatcK)  there 
were  more  than  Twenty  Persons  killed,  and  more  than  a  Dozen  car- 
ried away.  Mr.  Gershom  Hobart,  the  Minister  of  the  Place,  with 
part  of  his  Family,  was  Remarkably  preserved  from  falling  into  their 
Hands,  when  they  made  themselves  the  Masters  of  his  House  ;  though 
they  Took  Two  of  his  Children,  whereof  the  one  was  Killed,  and  the 
other  some  time  after  happily  Rescued  out  of  his  Captivity.  (Book 
VII.  page  86.) 

Charlevoix,  a  French  missionary  in  Canada,  gives  from  his 
own  standpoint  another  version,  as  follows  :  — 

The  Abenaqui  chief  was  Taxous,  already  celebrated  for  many  ex- 
ploits, and  commendable  attachment  to  our  interests.  This  brave  man, 
not  satisfied  with  what  he  had  just  so  valiantly  achieved,  chose  forty  of 
his  most  active  men,  and  after  three  days'  march,  by  making  a  long 
circuit,  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  fort  [at  Groton]  near  Boston,  and 
attacked  it  in  broad  day.  The  English  made  a  better  defence  than 
they  did  at  Pescadoue  [Piscataqua].  Taxous  had  two  of  his  nephews 
killed  by  his  side,  and  himself  received  more  than  a  dozen  musket 
balls  in  his  clothes,  but  he  at  last  carried  the  place,  and  then  continued 
his  ravages  to  the  very  doors  of  the  capital. 

[History  of  New  France,  IV.  257,  Shea's  edition.] 

The  following  reference  to  the  assault  is  found  in  the  re- 
port, made  October  26,  1694,  by  M.  Champigny,  to  the  Min- 
ister Pontchartrain.  The  original  document  is  in  the  Archives 
of  the  Marine  and  Colonies  at  Paris;  and  I  am  indebted  to 
Mr.  Francis  Parkman,  the  distinguished  historian,  for  a  copy 
of  it:  — 

These  Indians  did  not  stop  there  ;  four  parties  of  them  have  since 
been  detached,  who  have  been  within  half  a  day's  journey  of  Boston 
[/'.  e.,  at  Groton],  where  they  have  killed  or  captured  more  than  sixty 
persons,  ravaged  and  pillaged  everything  they  found,  which  has  thrown 
all  the  people  into  such  consternation  that  they  are  leaving  the  open 
country  to  seek  refuge  in  the  towns. 


KING  WILLIAM'S   WAR.  65 

A  French  "  Relation "  of  an  expedition  by  Villieu  also 
mentions  the  assault.  A  copy  of  the  paper  is  found  in  the 
Massachusetts  Archives  at  the  State  House,  in  the  volume 
marked  "Documents  collected  in  France,"  IV.  251.  The 
writer  gives  the  date  of  the  attack  some  days  later  than  is 
usually  assigned.  He  says  :  — 

On  the  30th  the  Indians  of  the  Penobscot,  not  having  taken  as 
many  prisoners  and  as  much  booty  as  those  of  the  Kennebec,  because 
they  had  not  found  enough  to  employ  themselves  ;  at  the  solicitation 
of  Villieu  and  of  Taxous  their  chief,  some  fifty  of  them  detached  them- 
selves to  follow  this  last  person,  who  was  piqued  at  the  little  that  had 
been  done.  They  were  joined  by  some  of  the  bravest  warriors  of 
the  Kennebec,  to  go  on  a  war  party  above  Boston  to  break  heads  by 
surprise  \casser  des  fetes  a  la  surprise],  after  dividing  themselves  into 
several  squads  of  four  or  five  each,  which  cannot  fail  of  producing  a 
good  effect.  (Pages  260,  261.) 

Judge  Sewall,  in  his  Diary,  printed  in  the  "  Collections  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,"  writes:  — 

Friday,  July  27.  Groton  set  upon  by  the  Indians,  21  persons 
kill'd,  13  captivated,  3  badly  wounded.  About  9.  night,  Mr.  Lodo- 
wick  comes  to  Boston.  Between  10.  and  n.  there  is  an  Alarm, 
through  the  Town  kept  up  till  near  day-break.  Mr.  Brattle  was  arriv'd 
at  Col.  Shrimpton's,  there  he  told  me  of  Mr.  Lodowick's  unhappi- 
ness  in  coming  just  then.  During  the  Alarm,  Mr.  Willard's  little 
daughter  Sarah  dies,  buried  on  Sabbath-day  a  little  before  Sunset. 
(V.  Fifth  series,  391.) 

The  child  Sarah,  mentioned  by  Sewall,  was  a  daughter,  only 
a  few  months  old,  of  the  Reverend  Samuel  Willard,  the  minister 
of  Groton  when  the  town  was  previously  burned ;  but  at  this 
time  he  was  settled  over  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston. 

The  Reverend  John  Pike  makes  the  following  reference  to 
the  assault,  in  his  Journal,  printed  in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
same  Society  for  September,  1875  :  — 

July  27.  The  enemy  fell  upon  Groton  ab'  day-break,  killed  22 
persons  &  Captivated  13.  (XIV.  128.) 

5 


66  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

Governor  Hutchinson,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,"  published  during  the  following  century, 
writes  :  — 

Having  crossed  Merrimack,  on  the  2yth  of  July  [1694]  they  fell 
upon  Groton,  about  40  miles  from  Boston.  They  were  repulsed  at 
Lakin's  garrison  house,  but  fell  upon  other  houses,  where  the  people 
were  oft*  their  guard,  and  killed  and  carried  away  from  the  vicinity 
about  forty  persons.  Toxus's  two  nephews  were  killed  by  his  side, 
and  he  had  a  dozen  bullets  through  his  blanket,  according  to 
Charlevoix,  who  adds  that  he  carried  the  fort  or  garrison  and  then 
went  to  make  spoil  at  the  gates  of  Boston  ;  in  both  which  facts  the 
French  account  is  erroneous.  (II.  82.) 


II. 

In  the  assault  of  July,  1694,  the  loss  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants  was  considerably  greater  than  when  the  town  was 
destroyed  in  the  attack  of  1676.  It  is  said  that  the  scalps  of 
the  unfortunate  victims  were  given  to  the  Count  de  Frontenac, 
governor  of  Canada.  A  large  majority,  and  perhaps  all,  of  the 
prisoners  taken  at  this  time  were  children.  The  Indians  had 
learned  that  captives  had  a  market  value  ;  and  children,  when 
carried  off,  could  be  more  easily  guarded  than  adults.  It  was 
more  profitable  for  the  savages  to  exchange  prisoners  for  a 
ransom,  or  sell  them  to  the  French,  than  it  was  to  kill  them. 
It  is  now  too  late  to  give  the  names  of  all  the  sufferers,  but  a 
few  facts  in  regard  to  them  may  be  gathered  from  fragmen- 
tary sources.  The  families  that  suffered  the  severest  lived,  for 
the  most  part,  in  the  same  general  neighborhood,  which  was 
near  the  site  of  the  first  meeting-house.  Lieutenant  William 
Lakin's  house,  where  the  fight  began,  was  situated  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicopee  Row. 


KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 


The  following  list  of  casualties,  necessarily  incomplete  and 
in  part  conjectural,  is  given  as  an  approximation  to  the  loss 
sustained  by  the  town  :  — 

Killed.  Captured. 

John    Longley's   family 7  3 

Rev.  Mr.  Hobart's  „         i  i 

John  Shepley's         „         4?  i 

James  Parker,  Jr.'s  „         2  3  ? 

Alexander  Rouse's  „        2  i 

Mr.  Gershom  Hobart,  the  minister,  whose  house  was  cap- 
tured in  this  assault,  lived  where  the  Baptist  meeting-house 
now  stands.  One  of  his  boys  was  killed,  and  another,  Ger- 
shom, Jr.,  was  carried  off.  There  is  a  tradition  extant  that 
a  third  child  was  concealed  under  a  tub  in  the  cellar,  and  thus 
saved  from  the  fury  of  the  savages.  Judge  Sewall  writes  in 
his  Diary,  under  the  date  of  May  i,  1695  :  — 

Mr.  Hobarts  son  Gershom  is  well  at  a  new  Fort  a  days  Journey 
above  Nerigawag  [Norridgewock],  Masters  name  is  Nassacombewit,  a 
good  Master,  and  Mistress.  Master  is  chief  Captain,  now  Bambazeen 
is  absent. 

[Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  V.  Fifth  series,  403,  404.] 

It  is  not  known  exactly  when  he  was  rescued  from  captiv- 
ity, but  probably  not  long  afterwards.  The  inscription  on  the 
Shepley  monument  says  that  "  the  Indians  massacred  all  the 
Sheples  in  Groton  save  a  John  Sheple  16  years  old  who  the[y] 
carried  captive  to  Canada  and  kept  him  4  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Groton  and  from  him  descended  all  the  Sheples 
or  Shepleys  in  this  Vicinity;  "  but  there  is  no  record  to  show 
how  many  there  were  in  this  family.  Mr.  Butler,  in  his 
History  (page  97),  makes  substantially  the  same  statement, 
but  does  not  mention  any  number.  In  my  list  it  is  placed  at 
five,  which  is  conjectural ;  of  this  number  probably  four  were 
slain.  Shepley  lived  near  where  the  Martin's  Pond  road  starts 
off  from  the  North  Common.  The  knowledge  which  the  bov 


68  KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

John  obtained  of  their  language  and  customs,  while  a  prisoner 
among  the  Indians,  was  of  much  use  to  him  in  after-life. 
Tradition  relates  that,  when  buying  furs  and  skins  of  them,  he 
used  to  put  his  foot  in  one  scale  of  the  balance  instead  of  a 
pound  weight.  In  the  summer  of  1/04,  while  he  and  thirteen 
other  men  were  reaping  in  a  field  at  Groton,  they  were  at- 
tacked by  about  twenty  Indians.  After  much  skirmishing, 
Shepley  and  one  of  his  comrades,  Butterfield  by  name,  suc- 
ceeded in  killing  one  of  the  assailants,  for  which  act  they 
each  were  allowed  four  pounds  by  the  government.  He  was 
the  direct  ancestor  of  the  late  Honorable  Ether  Shepley, 
of  Portland,  formerly  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  State  of  Maine,  and  of  his  son,  the  late  General  George 
Foster  Shepley,  formerly  a  Justice  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
the  First  Circuit  of  the  United  States. 

Sheplcy's  petition  to  the   General  Court,  which   gives  the 
particulars  of  the  attack,  is  as  follows  :  — 

To  his  Excellency  Joseph  Dudley  Esqr  Cap'.  General  and  Goremo''. 
in  Chief  in  &>  over  her  ^Iaf:'^  Provinces  of  the  Massachusetts-Bay 
&>ril  in  New  England  To  tJie  Hon!'!;  her  Maf":s  Council  in  s*  Pror- 
ince  and  To  the  Hon1'1.*  tlie  House  of  Representatives  now  convened  in 
General  Assembly  within  &"  for  said  Province.  Octob''.  25?''  1704. 

The  Humble  Petition  of  John  Shepley  of  Groton  Sheweth 
That  when  Major  Taylor  was  at  Groton,  having  drawn  off  most  of 
his  men  from  the  place,  and  marched  to  Col.  Tyngs  yo.r  Petitioner  and 
Thirteen  men  more  being  some  reaping  and  yc  rest  Warding  in  a  ffield 
at  Groton  afores'1  the  Indians  to  the  number  of  about  twenty  came 
upon  them  when  yor.  Petitioner  and  the  rest  betook  themselves  to  their 
Arms,  and  three  others  being  along  with  yor  Petitioner,  the  Indians  ran 
round  the  ffield  &  met  them  &  the  s'1  Indians  made  several  shott  at  the 
English,  but  amongst  the  rest  one  lusty  stout  Indian  with  a  holland 
shirt  on  ran  about  8  or  10  Rodcl  side  by  side  with  yof  Petitioner  & 
the  other  3  men  in  his  Company,  about  10  Rodd  to  the  right  hand  of 
them  when  he  fired  upon  us,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  fired  yor  Petitioner 
fired  being  loaded  with  a  slugg  &  another  of  the  Company  at  the  same 


KING    WILLIAM'S   WAR. 


time  fired  a  Bullet  at  him,  whereupon  the  s'1  Indian  fell  down  and 
cryd  out  ;  There  were  3  of  our  first  Company  kilPd  or  carryed 
away,  Afterwards  ye  sl1  Indian  was  found  dead  &  a  slugg  &  I  Juliet 
in  his  Body  his  Scalp  being  sent  up  to  his  Excellency  by  Major 
Taylor. 

Yor  Petitioner  therefore  humbly  prays  yor  Excellency  c\:  Honr>  to 
take  the  premises  into  yo'  Consideration  and  he  may  be  allowed 
such  Encouragem'  for  his  service  herein  as  the  Law  allows 
or  as  to  yor  Excellency  &  Honor."  in  yor  Wisdoms  shall  seem 
meet 

and  yor  Petitioner  shall  pray  £m 

JOHN  SHEPLEY. 
Octob'  26th  1704. 
In  Council, 
Read  and  sent  down. 

On  the  back  of  the  petition  is  written  :  — 

In  the  House  of  Representatives 
Octo!^  27:   i  704  Read  and 

Resolved.  That  the  sum  of  four  Pounds  be  allowed  and  Paid 
out  of  the  publick  Treasury  to  the  Petition!  and  the  like  Sum 
of  four  Pounds  to  Samuel  Butterfield,  who  this  House  is  Inform'1 
did  assist  in  the  killing  of  the  Indian  mentioned  in  the  Petition, 
and  that  no  other  or  further  sum  be  allowed  for  the  killing  of  the 
sd  Indian 

JAM  "  CONVERSE  Speaker 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence 

in  Council. 
Die  pdict. 

Read  and  Concurr'd 

Is  A  ADDINGTON  Secry. 

[Endorsed]  John  Shepley's  Petition  Octo:  i  704 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  496,497.] 

While  it  was  resolved,  in  connection  with  this  petition,  that 
no  further  sum  be  allowed  for  the  killing  of  the  Indian,  But- 
terfield subsequently  obtained  an  additional  sum  of  five  pounds 


70  KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

from  the  public  treasury  in  consequence  of  his  services  and 
the  loss  of  his  accoutrements.  The  application  for  help, 
dated  April  10,  1706,  is  printed  on  page  95;  and  from  this 
document  it  appears  that  Butterfield  was  captured  with 
another  man  at  this  time,  and  a  third  one  was  killed.  The 
attack  occurred  in  the  month  of  August,  1704. 

A  petition  to  the  General  Court,  dated  May  31,  1699,  and 
signed  by  Josiah  Parker,  says  that  "  James  Parker  Junr  Brother 
to  yor  humble  Pet"r  was  killed,  with  his  Wife,  several  of  his 
Children  also  were  then  carryed  away  Captive."  In  the  list  of 
casualties  I  have  placed  the  number  of  these  children  at 
three,  which  is  conjectural  on  my  part.  The  site  of  Parker's 
house  is  unknown. 

The  petition  for  the  relief  of  the  family  is  as  follows:  - 

PROVINCE  OF  YE   MASSACHUSETTS  BAY  :  May  31^   1699 

To  his  Excellency  The' Right  HonHf  Richard  Ectrle  of  Bcllomont 
GoTerinf.  in  CJiief  of  his  Majesties  Prorince  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bay  in  New  England  and  to  y"  Honbl'  yf  Council  and  Representa- 
tives in  Gen"  Court  Assembled 

The  Petition  of  Josiah  Parker  of  Cambridge  humbly  sheweth 
That  whereas  in  the  year  1693  [1694?]  the  Indian  enemy  made  an 
assault  upon  the  Town  of  Groton  in  which,  among  others  James 
Parker  Junr  Brother  to  yor  humble  Pet'!r  was  killed,  with  his  Wife, 
several  of  his  Children  also  were  then  carryed  away  Captive,  one  of 
which  named  Phinehas  Parker  something  less  than  a  year  ago  was  (by 
a  Master  of  a  Vessell  belonging  to  Ipswich)  redeemed  from  the  Indians 
at  ye  Eastward  :  which  said  Master  has  been  reimbursed  by  yor  Petnr 
wcl'  is  to  the  Value  of  about  six  pounds  in  Money. 

The  earnest  request  of  yo[  humble  Petn.r  to  yor  Excellency  &  to  this 
Hon'1.'1-*  Court  is  that  you  would  please  to  consider  him  &  that  allow- 
ance may  be  made  him  out  of  the  publick  Treasury  for  what  he  lias 
disburst  Also  he  desires  humbly  that  you  would  please  something  to 
consider  the  said  Phinehas  who  is  a  poor  Orphan  now-  about  twelve 
years  old,  and  is  like  wise  lame  of  one  of  his  Leggs  occasioned  by  y° 
cruelty  of  ye  Salvages  and  it  is  very  questionable  whether  ever  lie  will 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  71 

be  cured,  &  has  little  or  nothing  left  him  of  his  Fathers  estate  for  his 
support  If  therefore  what  has  here  been  suggested  by  yor  humble 
Pet"/  may  be  accordingly  considered  and  granted,  it  will  greatly  oblige 
him,  as  in  duty  Bound, 

Ever  to  Pray,  &c 

JOSIAH  PARKER 
June  3  1699  Read  ist  tyme 

June  6th  1699  read  a  2'!  time,  June  yth  read  a  3rd  time  and  Voted 
that  the  Petitioner  be  Allowed  six  pounds  money  out  of  the  publick 
Treary 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence 

JAM  s  CONVERSE 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXX.  401.] 

The  late  Reverend  James  Delap  Farnsworth,  in  a  manu- 
script account  of  William  Longley,  now  in  the  library  of  the 
New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society,  says  that  "  two 
of  his  neighbors  named  Rouse"  were  killed  in  the  same  mas- 
sacre. Alexander  Rouse  lived  in  the  vicinity,  and  this  refer- 
ence by  Mr.  Farnsworth  is  to  him  and  his  wife.  There 
was  one  "  Tamasin  Rouce  of  Grotten  "  received  January  17, 
1698-99,  on  board  the  Province  Galley  at  Casco  Bay;  and 
she,  doubtless,  was  a  daughter.  (Archives,  LXX.  399.)  Two 
commissioners  had  been  sent  to  Casco  Bay,  in  order  to  make 
a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  and  to  bring  away  the 
prisoners.  One  of  the  commissioners  "took  certain  Minutes 
of  Remarkable  Things  from  some  of  the  captives,"  and  Cot- 
ton Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  gives  his  readers  what  he  calls 
"  a  Taste  of  them."  Mather  speaks  of  the  little  girl,  and 
says :  — 

Assacombuit  sent  Thomasin  Rouse,  a  Child  of  about  Ten  Years  old, 
unto  the  Water-side  to  carry  something.  The  Child  cried  :  He  took 
a  Stick  and  struck  her  down  :  She  lay  for  Dead  :  He  took  her  up  and 
threw  her  into  the  Water  :  Some  Indians  not  far  off  ran  in  and  fetch'd 
her  out.  This  Child  we  have  now  brought  home  with  us.  (Book 
VII.  Page  95.) 


72  KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR. 

Among  the  "  Nams  of  thos  Remaining  Still  in  hands  of 
the  french  at  Canada,"  found  in  a  document  dated  October, 
1695,  are  those  of  "  Lidey  Langly  gerl "  and  "  Jn"  Shiply 
boy."  In  this  list  the  residences  of  both  these  children  are 
incorrectly  written,  Lydia's  being  given  as  Dover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  John's  as  Oyster  River.  They  both  belonged  in 
this  town,  and  were  taken  at  the  assault  of  July  27,  1694. 
The  name  of  Thomas  Drew  appears  in  the  same  list  as  of 
Groton,  which  is  a  mistake,  as  he  was  of  Oyster  River. 
(Archives,  XXXVIII.  A  2.) 

This  expedition  against  Groton  was  planned  in  part  by  the 
Indians  at  a  fort  called  Amsaquonte  above  Norridgewock,  in 
Maine.  It  was  arranged  also  in  the  plan  of  operations  that 
Oyster  River  —  now  Durham,  New  Hampshire  —  should  be 
attacked  on  the  way ;  and  the  assault  on  that  town  was  made 
July  1 8,  nine  days  before  the  one  on  Groton.  At  Oyster 
River  more  than  ninety  persons  were  either  killed  or  cap- 
tured ;  the  prisoners  from  the  two  towns  appear  to  have  been 
taken  to  Maine,  where  they  were  brought  frequently  together 
during  their  captivity.  On  January  21,  1695,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  William  Stoughton  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which 
he  refers  to  the  "  tragical  outrages  and  barbcrous  murders  " 
at  Oyster  River  and  Groton.  He  says  that  several  of  the 
prisoners  taken  at  these  places  "  are  now  detained  by  the  said 
Indians  at  Amarascoggin  and  other  adjoining  places."  l 

Hezekiah  Miles,  alias  Hector,  a  friendly  Indian,  at  one 
time  a  captive  in  the  enemy's  hands,  made  a  deposition 
before  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Council,  at  Boston,  May 
31,  1695,  stating  that,  - 

in  the  month  of  July  1694.  there  was  a  gathering  of  the  Indi- 
ans at  the  said  new  Fort  [Amsaquonte]  and  preparations  to  go  forth 
to  war,  and  that  two  or  three  days  before  they  intended  to  set  out,  they 
kild  and  boyld  several  dogs,  and  held  a  Feast,  where  was  present 

1  Documents  relating  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
IX.  613,  614. 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  73 

Egeremet,  Bomaseen,  Warumbee,  &  Ahasombamet  with  divers  others, 
of  the  chief  among  them,  they  discoursed  of  falling  upon  Oyster 
River  and  Groton  ;  and  Bomaseen  was  to  command  one  of  the  Com- 
pany, &  the  day  before  they  intended  to  set  forth,  myself  with  ffour 
Indians  more  were  despatched  away  to  Canada  with  a  Letter  from  the 
Fryar  and  were  upon  our  Voyage  thither  and  back  again  about  ffourt" 
days  and  brought  down  about  two  barrels  of  powder,  shot  proportion- 
able &  some  fire  armes.  About  the  time  of  our  return,  the  Indians 
came  in  after  the  Mischief  done  at  Oyster  River  &  Groton,  and  in 
particular,  I  saw  Bomaseen  in  his  Canoo,  which  was  well  laden,  there 
was  two  English  Captives,  some  scalps,  and  a  large  pack  of  Plunder 
brought  in  that  Canoo,  and  Bomaseen  two  or  three  days  after  his 
return  home  went  away  to  Canada. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  VIII.  39.] 

Ann  Jenkins,  in  a  deposition  given  June  11,  1695,  testifies 
that  she  was  taken  on  July  18,  1694,  at  Oyster  River,  and 
that  she,  — 

with  nine  Captives  more  were  Carried  up  to  penecook  &  were  Left 
with  Three  Indians  &  that  party  went  to  Groaten  Bomazeen  being  their 
Commander.  In  nine  dayes  they  returned  &  brought  twelue  Captives 
&  from  thence  with  their  Cannoes  sometimes  a  float  &  sometimes  Car- 
ried untill  that  we  Came  to  Norridgeawocke  which  tooke  us  fifteen 
dayes  &  staied  about  two  months  there  then  dispersed  into  the  woods 
twoe  or  thre  families  in  a  place  &  kept  Removeing  toe  and  froe  staie- 
ing  about  a  week  in  a  place  untill  they  brought  vss  down  to  pemaquid 
&  delivered  vss  to  Cap'  March. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  VIII.  40.] 

The  story  of  William  and  Deliverance  Longley's  family  is  a 
sad  one  to  relate.  They  were  living,  with  their  eight  children, 
on  a  small  farm,  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  village, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Hollis  road.  Their  house  was  built  of 
hewn  logs,  and  was  standing  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century.  The  old  cellar,  with  its  well-laid  walls,  was  dis- 
tinctly visible  forty  years  ago,  and  traces  of  it  could  be 


74  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

seen  even  to  very  modern  times.  The  site  of  this  house  has 
recently  been  marked  by  a  monument  bearing  the  following 
inscription :  — 


HERE    DWELT 

WILLIAM    AND    DELIVERANCE    LONGLEY 

WITH   THEIR    EIGHT    CHILDREN. 

O.\    THE   27TH    OF   JuLV    1694 
THE    INDIANS    KILLED   THE    FATHER    AND    MOTHER 

AND    FIVE   OF   THE   CHILDREN 

AND     CARRIED     INTO     CAPTIVITY 

THE   OTHER    THREE. 


It  was  erected  in  the  autumn  of  1879,  at  the  expense  of 
the  town,  on  land  generously  given  for  the  purpose  by  Mr. 
Zechariah  Fitch,  the  present  owner  of  the  farm. 

On  the  fatal  morning  of  July  27,  1694,  the  massacre  of  this 
family  took  place.  The  savages  appeared  suddenly,  coming 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Merrimack  River,  and  began 
the  attack  at  Lieutenant  William  Lakin's  house,  where  they 
were  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  one  of  their  number.  They 
followed  it  up  by  assaulting  other  houses  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood. They  made  quick  work  of  it,  and  left  the  town 
as  speedily  as  they  came.  With  the  exception  of  John 
Shepley's  house,  it  is  not  known  that  they  destroyed  any  of 
the  buildings ;  but  they  pillaged  them  before  they  departed. 
They  carried  off  thirteen  prisoners,  mostly  children,  —  and 
perhaps  all,  —  who  must  have  retarded  their  march.  There 
is  a  tradition  that,  early  in  the  morning  of  the  attack,  the 
Indians  turned  Longley's  cattle  out  of  the  barnyard  into 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  75 

the  cornfield,  and  then  lay  in  ambush.  The  stratagem  had 
the  desired  effect.  Longley  rushed  out  of  the  house, 
unarmed,  in  order  to  drive  the  cattle  back,  when  he 
was  murdered,  and  all  his  family  either  killed  or  cap- 
tured. The  bodies  of  the  slain  were  buried  in  one  grave, 
a  few  rods  northwest  of  the  house.  A  small  apple-tree 
growing  over  the  spot,  and  a  stone  lying  even  with  the 
ground,  for  many  years  furnished  the  only  clew  to  the  final 
resting-place  of  this  unfortunate  family,  but  these  have  now 
disappeared. 

William  Longley  was  town-clerk  in  the  year  1687,  and  also 
from  1692  till  his  death  in  1694;  and  only  one  week  before  he 
was  killed,  he  had  made  entries  in  the  town  records.  His 
father,  William  Longley,  Sen.,  also  had  been  town-clerk,  dur- 
ing the  years  1666  and  1667,  and  died  November  29,  1680. 
The  father  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town,  as  well 
as  the  owner  of  a  thirty-acre  right  in  the  original  Groton  plan- 
tation. Lydia,  John,  and  Betty  were  the  names  of  the  three 
children  carried  off  by  the  savages,  and  taken  to  Canada. 
Lydia  was  sold  to  the  French,  and  placed  in  the  Congregation 
of  Ndtre  Dame,  a  convent  in  Montreal,  where  she  embraced 
the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  died  July  20,  1758,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-four  years.  Betty  perished  soon  after  her 
capture,  from  hunger  and  exposure  ;  and  John,  the  third  child, 
remained  with  the  savages  for  more  than  four  years,  when  he 
was  ransomed  and  brought  away,  much  against  his  own  will. 
At  one  time  during  his  captivity  he  was  on  the  verge  of 
starving,  when  an  Indian  kindly  gave  him  a  dog's  foot  to 
gnaw,  which  for  the  time  appeased  his  hunger.  He  was 
known  among  his  captors  as  John  Angary.  After  he  came 
home,  his  sister  Lydia  wrote  from  Canada,  urging  him  to 
abjure  the  Protestant  religion ;  but  he  remained  true  to  the 
faith  of  his  early  instruction. 

Their  grandmother,  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Crispe,  made 
her  will  April  13,  1698,  which  was  admitted  to  probate 
in  Middlesex  County,  on  the  28th  of  the  following  Dcccm- 


76  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

bcr;    and    in    it   she    remembered  these    absent  children  as 
follows :  — 

I  give  and  bequeath  Vnto  my  three  Grand-Children  yl  are  in  Cap- 
tivity if  they  returne  Vizdt  three  books  one  of  y1"  a  bible  another  a 
Sermon  booke  treating  of  faith  and  the  other  a  psalme  book. 

The  old  lady  herself,  doubtless,  had  read  the  "  Sermon 
booke  treating  of  faith  ;  "  and  it  must  have  strengthened  her 
belief  in  Divine  wisdom,  and  been  a  great  consolation  in  her 
trials.  She  did  not  know  at  this  time  that  her  granddaughter 
was  a  convert  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  The  knowledge 
of  this  fact  would  have  been  to  her  an  affliction  scarcely  less 
than  the  massacre  of  her  daughter's  family. 

John  Longley  returned  about  the  time  that  his  grandmother 
died ;  and  subsequently  he  filled  many  important  offices  in 
the  church  and  town.  Like  his  father  and  grandfather,  he  was 
the  town-clerk  during  several  years.  The  following  paper 
signed  by  him  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  New  England 
Historic  Genealogical  Society:  - 

John  Longley  of  Groton  of  about  fifty  four  Years  of  age  Testifyes 
&  Saith  That  he  was  Taken  Captive  by  the  Indians  at  Groton  in  July 
1694.  and  Lived  in  Captivity  with  them  More  than  four  Years  ;  And 
the  Two  Last  years  and  an  half  at  Penobscot  as  Servant  to  Madoca- 
wando  of  sd  Penobscot  And  he  was  always  Accounted  as  Chief  or  One 
of  ye  Chief  Sachems  or  Captains  among  the  Indians  there  and  I  have 
Often  Seen  the  Indians  Sitting  in  Council  When  he  always  Sat  as 
Chief:  And  Once  in  perticuler  I  Observed  a  present  was  made  him  of 
a  Considerable  Number  of  Skins  of  Considerable  Vallue  As  an  Ac- 
knowledgement of  his  Superiority. 

JOHN  LONGLEY 

Middx  ss.     Groton  July  24*  1736. 

Deacon  John  Longley  above  named  personally  appearing  Made 
Oath  to  y?  Truth  of  the  above  written  Testimony. 

Before  me  Benj1  Prescott  Jus'  of  peace. 
(Knox  Manuscripts,  Waldo  Papers,  L.  13.] 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  77 

In  the  month  of  July,  1877,  I  was  in  Montreal,  where  I  pro- 
cured, through  the  kindness  of  the  Mother  Superior  at  the 
Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  a  copy  of  the  French  record 
of  Lydia's  baptism,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation  :  - 

On  Tuesday,  April  24,  1696,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was  per- 
formed on  an  English  girl,  named  Lydia  Longley,  who  was  born  April 
14,  1674,  at  Groton,  a  few  miles  from  Boston  in  New  England.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  William  Longley  and  Deliverance  Crisp,  both 
Protestants.  She  was  captured  in  the  month  of  July,  1680  [1694?]  by 
the  Abenaqui  Indians,  and  has  lived  for  the  past  month  in  the  house 
of  the  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame.  The  godfather 
was  M.  Jacques  Leber,  merchant ;  the  godmother  was  Madame  Marie 
Madeleine  Dupont,  wife  of  M.  de  Maricourt,  Ecuyer,  Captain  of  a 
company  of  Marines  :  she  named  this  English  girl  Lydia  Madeleine. 
[Signed]  LYDIA  MADELEINE  LONGLEY, 

MADELEINE  DUPONT, 

LEBER, 

M.  CAILLE,  acting  curate. 

[The  date  of  capture  in  this  record  is  written  out  in  full,  and  the  omission  of 
one  word  would  cause  the  mistake;  i.e.,  "mil  six  cent  quatre-vingt,"  omitting 
quatorzc.} 

After  this  attack  of  July  27  the  town  was  left  in  strait- 
ened circumstances,  and  the  inhabitants  found  it  difficult  to 
meet  the  demands  made  on  them.  In  this  emergency  they 
petitioned  the  General  Court  for  relief,  which  was  duly 
granted,  as  appears  by  the  following  document :  - 

GROTON  Octobr    i5th  1694 
To  the  Honored  General!  Court  : 

The  humble  petition  and  earnest  request  of  the  Inhabitants  of 
Groton  humbly  sheweth ;  That  whereas  w^e  the  present  survivers 
of  this  Towne  do  understand  that  ourselves  either  without  invoice,  or 
according  to  some  former  or  according  to  your  honours  pleasures  arc 
willed  &  domed  for  a  rate  or  Levy,  a  considerable  some  of  moneys 
amounting  to  50"'" ;  we  therefore  being  feelingly  apprehensive  of  our 
utter  incapacity,  in  present  circumstances  without  apparent  wrong  to 


78  KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR. 

us  ;  to  pay  said  sum  humbly  make  bold  under  God  to  addresse  this 
honored  great  generall  Court,  with  both  our  humble  petition  and  a 
discovery  of  our  condition  :  our  petion  is  that  we  may  If  it  be  your 
honourable  pleasure  to  remitt  us  our  assessment  and  not  putt  us  upo 
further  inevitable  streights  &  Miseryes.  This  we  humbly  petion,  and 
that  we  may  not  be  thought  unjustly  to  withdraw  ye  shoulder  from 
puting  our  strength  &  help  to  support  and  cary  on  the  government  of 
their,  our  Majestyes,  in  this  part  of  their  dominion,  and  be  unwilling 
to  bear  our  part  with  the  rest  of  their  Majestyes  subjects  on  this 
New  England  shoar  as  we  have  constantly  &  proportionally  heitherto 
done  and  as  arguments  and  Reason  to  prevail  in  this  case,  we  make 
bold  to  spread  our  conditio  before  your  honored  selues  :  not  to  run 
back  very  farr 

1  It  pleased  God  the  disposer  of  all  men  &  humane  affairs  to  place 
us  upon  ye  outward  borders  of  ye  inhabited  land  on  this  side  y   coun- 
try, which  by  some  is  alledged  as  an  argument  against  us,  yett  lett 
Reason  butt  speak  &  the  union  and  communion  not  onely  of  naturall, 
but  Christian  societyes  haue  its  argument  and  it  will  tell  us  of  bearing 
one  another's  burdens,  and  of  that   smpathetick    property  that  is  a 
naturall  body  &  rationally  ought  to  be  both  in  cyvill  &  politick  also  : 
and  therefore  whatever  our  alledged  priveledges  are,  or  haue  bin.  we 
ought  not  to  be  Grudged  them,  for  indeed  our  out  edge  &  distant 
Living  hath  bin  in   these  times  of  late   awfull  dealing    our   hurt   & 
damage   both  as  to  psons  &  estates  beyound  parrelell  with  any  in- 
ward Townes,  as  plaine  &  undeniable  Reason  &  argument  is  ready  to 
be  given. 

2  The  providence  of  y"  wise  God,  did  order  it  That  very  grievous 
troublesome  and  mortall  sicknesse,  was  amoungt  us  the  last  year  by  wh 
we  were  not  onely  leasoned  considerebly  in  our  numbers,  but  demin- 
ished  in  our  estates  It  being  so  generall  That  one  could  not  help  y° 
other  by  w:h  great  charge  of  Doctrs  came  upo  us,  losse  of  y';  season- 
able Labour  of  our  inhabitants,  to  the  indamaging  the  estates  of  ye 
most,  unrecovered  by  many  to  this  day. 

3  we  might  add  our  constant  (in  these  late  times)   standing  upon 
our  guard,  and  considerable  charge,  of  building  &  repairing  forts,  for 
our  owne  and  the  countryes  safty.  &  securing  their  majestyes  subjects, 
both  here,  and  in  the  inmost  places. 

4  This  years  soar  and  awfull  troubles  by  ye  late  deaths  captivityes 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  79 

and  consequent  meseryes,  whereby  we  lost  severall  able  valuble  psons, 
whose  estates  are  either,  much  lessened,  or  removed  by  others,  out 
our  reach  :  beside  by  inevitable  losse  of  corne,  It  is  Judged  by  many 
of  our  Towne  that  a  third  part  at  lest  of  our  Indian  corne,  is  wholy 
lost ;  and  now  of  late  psons  haue  bin  hendred  much  in  their  corne, 
&  hay  harvest,  beside  the  hand  of  God  upon  our  husbandry,  as  to  rye 
much  blasted,  not  halfe  a  usuall  crop  and  by  early  frost,  Indian  corne 
much  hurt,  &  damnifyed,  that  severall  familyes  will  be  at  a  losse  for 
corne,  not  having  for  halfe  ye  year  through  :  Thus  Leaving  our  petion 
&  condition  to  your  honours  serious  consideration  hoping  you  may 
see,  reason  to  indulge  us  in  that  matter  praying  to  God  who  setts 
amoung  ye  god  to  direct,  &  preside,  and  bless^,  your  psons  &  consul- 
tations to  conclude  &  determine  what  may  be  for  y  present  &  future 
weal  &  prosperity,  of  these  plantation,  we  rest  and  remaine  yours  in 
all  duty  &  service. 

James  Parker  Senr :  William  Laken  Senr.  Select  men  in  the  name 
of  ye  Select  men  by  ye  voat  of  ye  Towne  of  Groton  : 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CXIII.  89.] 

Upon  reading  this  Petition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Groton  Setting 
forth  their  great  distress  and  impoverish™'  by  reason  of  the  desolations 
made  upon  them  by  the  Enemy  Praying  to  be  Eased  and  abated  of 
their  proportion  to  the  last  publick  Tax  or  Assessm'  amounting  to  the 
sum  of  Fifty  pounds. 

Voted, 

That  the  said  Town  be  abated  one  halfe  of  the  afores'.1  Sum  of  Fifty 
pounds,  and  that  Mr  Treasurer  do  Suspend  the  calling  for  the  other 
halfe  until  the  Fifteenth  day  of  December  next.  The  Assessor"  forth- 
with to  proportion  the  same  upon  their  Inhabitant"  and  to  commit  the 
List  thereof  unto  their  Constables,  so  that  they  may  be  collecting 

Octobr  22'1  1694  :  Past  in  the  affirmative  by  the  house  of  Repre- 
sentatives and  sent  up  to  his  Excy  and  Gouncil  for  Consent 

NEHEMIAH  JFAVET  speaker 

Vot'.1  a  concurrence  in  Council,  die  pdict. 

Is  f  ADDINGTON  Secry. 

[Endorsed] 

Vote  for  abatement  to  Groton.  Oct"  1694. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  CXIII.  97.] 


80  KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

Lieutenant-Governor  William  Stoughton  writes  from  Bos- 
ton,  September  5,  1695,  to  Captain  James  Converse:  — 

I  order  That  at  your  next  passing  over  Merrimack  with  your  Com- 
pany towards  Dunstable  <S:c  That  you  advise  with  MajT  Henchman  and 
Mr  Jon:1  Ting  concerning  the  posting  yor  men  in  the  several  Frontiers 
of  Dunstable,  Bilrica  Chelmsford  Groton,  Lancaster  and  Marlboro  for 
the  better  inforcem'  of  the  Garrisons  there  &  maintaining  a  good 
brisk  Scout  for  the  discovery  of  the  Enemy  to  prevent  their  annoying 
of  those  Towns  during  the  Harvest  Season,  .  .  . 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LI.  44.] 

In  accordance  with  this  order,  eight  men  were  posted  at 
Groton ;  soon  afterward  there  were  nine,  of  whom  seven  were 
inhabitants  of  the  town. 

Captain  James  Converse  writes  from  Woburn  :  — 

WOOBOURNE    (7'.ir  ye     7'.h  (1696) 

May  it  pleas  your  Honr' 

The  Subscriber  receiving  a  letter  from  your  Hon'  of  yV  first  Courant, 
and  therein,  a  Comand  to  wait  upon  your  Honr  y"'  next  day  in  ordr  to 
receive  some  further  Instructions,  referring  to  a  Journey  to  Groaton, 
to  speak  with  some  Volanteers  &c  :  I  was  also  ordered  to  take  Cap 
Cowers  &  L!  Crasby  with  me  to  Groaton,  but  I  hearing  their  scouts 
had  discovered  sundrey  track  of  the  Enemy,  I  suposed  those  men 
might  be  in  y':  Woods  with  their  scouts,  and  so  it  proued,  for  this 
reson  I  took  with  me  Captn  Thof  Bancroft  of  Redding,  and  only  one 
soldier  with  vs,  we  came  to  Groaton  on  fryday  morning  (the  time  y1 
I  was  ordered  to  be  there)  where  I  mett  with  Mr  Daniel  ffitch 
&  his  second,  and  yc  rest  of  their  Volanteers  all  but  two  or  3 
Indians,  y1  left  them  (by  force)  in  ye  morning,  pretending  to  returne 
horn,  .  .  . 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LI.  68.] 

John  Haywood,  in  his  "  Gazetteer  of  Massachusetts  "  (Bos- 
ton, 1849),  under  Groton,  says  that  one  man  was  killed  here, 
May  20,  1697,  and  three  wounded.  (Page  162.)  The  same 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  8 1 

statement  is  made  in  George  Wingate  Chase's  "  History  of 
Haverhill,  Massachusetts  "  (page  201 )  ;  though  I  find  no  other 
authority  for  it.  Perhaps  it  is  the  same  affair  mentioned  in 
the  next  sentence. 

Cotton  Mather  says  that  one  man  was  killed  at  Groton,  in 
the  year  1697,  and  another,  with  two  children,  carried  into 
captivity.  (Magnalia,  Book  VII.  page  91.)  He  does  not  give 
the  date  clearly,  but  inferentially  it  is  June.  The  prisoner 
was  Stephen  Holden,  who  was  captured,  with  his  two  oldest 
sons,  John  and  Stephen,  Jr.  John  was  released  in  January, 
1699,  at  which  time  the  father  and  the  other  boy  were  yet 
remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  savages.  It  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, before  they  too  were  freed;  for,  in  the  following  June, 
the  House  of  Representatives  voted  three  pounds  and  twelve 
shillings  for  the  expenses  that  had  been  incurred  in  bringing 
them  back. 

Holden's  petition  to  the  General  Court  to  be  reimbursed 
for  buying  his  own  freedom  is  as  follows :  — 

To  The  Honored  &*  great  Assembly  now  setting  in  Boston     The  hum- 
ble petition  and  Request  of  Stephen  Holden  of  Groton 

Honored  Srs  It  having  pleased  the  Almighty  God  to  order  it  that 
myselfe  &  my  two  biggest  sons  tho  small  were  taken  captiues  by  the 
Indian  enemyes  from  our  towne  of  Groton  and  being  with  the  Esterne 
enemy  &  my  2  sons  about  one  year  &  ten  moneth  when  tho  it  was  my 
portion  to  escape  with  my  life  thro  Gods  mercy  beyound  what  I 
did  expect  or  look  for  &  I  think  fared  better  than  some  other  Eng- 
lish yett  great  hardship  and  difficultyes  I  underwent,  but  being  very 
desirous  with  one  of  my  sons  that  was  there  to  gitt  home  If  it  might 
be  fore  the  English  vessells  came  I  was  necessitated  to  give  my 
promise  to  my  Indian  Pilates  whom  I  satisfyed  att  Richmans  Island 
by  English  that  I  borrowed  of  there  thre  pound  &:  twelue  shillings  If 
I  might  haue  ye  boldnesse  I  would  humbly  craue  That  It  might  be  paycl 
out  of  Publiq  stock  I  should  take  it  thankfully  att  your  hands  Thus 
with  my  thankefulnesse  to  God  that  both  myselfe  &  both  my  children 
he  hath  graisosly  returned  to  our  home  againe  commend  your  honours 

6 


82  KING   WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

and  concerments  into  yL>  hands  &  wishing  yc  Presence  &  benidiction  of 
ye  soveraine  God  I  take  Leaue  &  subscribe  myselfe  your  humble  sen-ant 
&  suppliant 

STEPHEN  HOLDEN 

GROTOX  May  27'"'  1699 

June  6th  1699  once  read.  &  Voted  by  the  house  of  Representatives 
that  the  aboves'.1  Peticoner  Stephen  Holden  of  Grotton  be  paied  out 
of  the  publick  Treary  Three  pounds  &  twelve  shillings  money 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence, 

JAM;"  CONVERSE  Speaker 
19.  July,  99.     Read  and  past  in  Councel 

Is  A  ADDIXGTON  Secry 
Consented  to 

BELLOMONT 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXX.  400.] 

Among  the  names  of  the  captives  received  on  board  the 
Province  Gaily,  January  17,  1698—9,  at  Casco  Nay,  were 
"  John  Moulding  of  Grotten  "  and  "  Tamasin  Rouce  of  Grot- 
ten."  It  is  recorded,  a  week  later,  that  "  Steven  Moulding  of 
Grotten"  and  "Steven  Moulding  Jim'  of  ditto"  are  "yet  in 
the  Indian  hands."  (Archives,  LXX.  398,  399.) 

It  is  evident  that  the  early  settlers  were  still  having  a  hard 
time  during  this  period.  All  the  records  go  to  show  that 
between  the  assaults  of  the  savages  and  the  short  crops  they 
found  it  difficult  to  obtain  a  livelihood.  Again  they  were 
obliged  to  ask  the  General  Court  for  an  abatement  of  their 
taxes,  which  they  did,  in  a  petition,  as  follows :  - 

To  the  Honored  Luten".1  Govern1  the  Honored  Councill  and  Repre- 
sentitives  In  the  Court  Assembled  :  The  humble  petition  of  the  towne 
of  Groton  by  orderly  warning  mett  upon  octobr  the  (4"')  1697  then 
voating  (after  Serious  discourse  upon  the  present  times  &  awfull  cir- 
cumstances of  them  and  our  pticular  immergencys)  our  dislike  of  the 
present  help  granted  to  us  as  we  are  greeved  att  ye  management  «S: 
oversight  of  it :  &  voating  that  captne  James  Parker  and  Ensigne  John 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  83 

Farnsworth  should  be  our  Agents  to  present  and  promote  this  petition 
of  ours  by  such  discourse  as  might  be  needfull  in  our  behalfe  att  the 
Court.  Honored  Sirs  :  We  being  in  some  measure  necessitated  (by 
the  constancy  and  Long  continuance  of  the  righteous  hand  of  Almighty 
Clod  upon  us)  to  know  more  experimentally  the  troubles  concomitant 
and  consequent  of  bloody  &  cruell  warr,  Then  by  Sympathy  it  can  be 
possibly  knowne  by  others  :  And  that  by  Reason  our  stages  &  dwell- 
ings happene  to  be  upon  ye  very  dint,  brinck  &  in  ye  mouth  of  more 
unavoidable  difficultyes,  fears  dangers  &  death  by  the  cruell  sword  of 
the  wildernesse,  then  many  others  are  or  can  be,  Therefore  as  we  ap- 
prehend the  case  to  stand  with  us,  being  diminished  in  our  numbers, 
and  greatly  impoverished  in  our  out  wards,  desirous  as  we  hope  in 
measure  we  have  done  to  be  constantly  putting  up  our  petitions  to  the 
Lord  of  hosts  and  god  of  armyes  to  afford  us  conduct  &  Assistance 
every  way  so  we  would  not  wanting  to  cry  to  &:  humbly  call  upon  our 
Moses  &  Aaron  to  give  us  advise  &  to  extend  their  helping  hand 
who  if  any  are,  we  are  in  the  wildernesse  where  yr  is  Scorpions  and 
subtle  Finny  Serpents  mortally  wounding  and  killing  of  us  as  your 
Honord  Selves  hear  by  Rumour  upon  Rumour,  but  we  not  onely  hear 
butt  feel  see  &  woefully  experience  the  same.  Honored  Sirs  we  desire 
with  all  gratitude  and  thankfullnesse  to  acknowledge  your  fatherly  care 
of  us  hitherto,  Butt  yett  we  for  our  parts  If  still  we  must  abide  in  the 
Front.  We  beg  If  it  may  seem  good  in  your  eyes  that  we  may  be 
Released  from  countrey  charges  to  his  Majesty  or  in  plaine  words  coun- 
trey  Rates  &  that  we  may  be  pleasured  with  some  sutable  proportion 
of  souldiers  not  of  ourselves  which  if  we  may  be  worthy  once  more  to 
obtaine  we  haue  agreed  not  to  sell  them  away  for  men  of  ourselves  as 
we  wickedly  did.  The  way  of  a  changable  scout  we  thought  might 
do  us  a  kindnesse,  which  if  it  had  bin  with  good  inspection  &  man- 
agement attended  It  might  have  done  It  hath  appeared  to  us  more 
wayes  than  one  that  gitting  y"  Money  hath  bin  more  aimed  at  thO 
carefull  ordering,  or  doing  the  worke  to  earn  it  hath  bin  ;  we  beg  that 
If  for  this  autumnal  &  winter  season  you  may  soe  meet  to  order  yc 
chargable  scout  that  it  may  be  no  lesse  the  1 2  :  &  that  it  it  may  be  putt 
into  a  carefuller  &  honester  hand  than  it  hath  bin  both  for  the  place  & 
benifit  of  this  poor  Towne  we  are  able  if  called  thereto  to  Alledge 
sufficient  Argum1"  that  if  we  have  the  same  or  other  souldiers  It  is  a 
thing  requisite  that  some  other  .pson  might  Inspect  them 


84  KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

Thus  craving  pdone  for  our  boldnesse  wishing  y  Lord  to  be  your 
president  in  all  publike  matters  that  may  be  before  you  \ve  humbly 
subscribe  ourselves  yours  in  all  obedience  <S:  loyalty 

SIMON*  STONE          \ 

THOMAS  TARBELL  v  ^e'ect 
0  v  men 

SAMUEL  PARKER    ) 

ELIEZAR  PARKER 

Oct°  15"'  1697.     Read  Constable  of  Groton 

[Endorsed] 

Oct.  97 

Voted  in  y°  house  of  Representatives 

In  answer  to  sd  petition.  That  they  are  Eased  in  this  Last  tax  as  they 
desired  :  &  as  to  ye  Scout  y1  they  Judg  it  needfull  y'  Six  of  their  owne 
Souldiers  be  Imployed  dayly  :  &  yf  yj  Comandr  in  cheif  put  in  a  sutable 
pson  to  Inspect  ye  same 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence  : 

PENN  TOWXSEND  Speaker 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXX.  360,  361.] 

It  is  said,  on  the  authority  of  Judge  Se\vall's  Diary,  that 
there  were  three  persons  badly  wounded  in  the  assault  of 
July  27,  1694.  One  of  them,  undoubtedly,  was  Enoch  Law- 
renc£,  whose  given  name  is  sometimes  written  Enosh.  His 
petition  to  the  Governor  for  help  is  as  follows :  — 

7b  his  Excellency  Joseph  Dudley  Es<f.  Cap'.  Gen11-  and  Govcrnor  in 
Chief  in  and  over  her  Majesties  Province  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bay  in  New  England. 

To  the  Honorable  Council  and  Representatives  of  yc  said  province 
In  Court  assembled. 

The  humble  Petition  of  Enoch  Lawrence  Humbly  Sheweth  that 
your  petitioner  is  a  very  poor  man  and  by  reason  of  wounds  in  his 
hand,  received  in  a  fight  with  the  Indians  in  the  former  indian  War  is 
allmost  wholly  disabled  from  following  his  dayly  Labour  upon  which 
he  depends  for  a  Livelyhood  both  for  himself  and  his  family. 

Yo"  Petition"  therefore  prays  That  he  may  have  Freedoine  from 
Taxes,  and  something  allowed  him  for  a  maintainance  granted  by  yor 


KING   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  85 

Excellency  and   this   honour1'.'0  Court  and   yor    Petition'   shall   ever 
pray  &c 

ENOCH  LAWRENCE 
In  Council. 
1 6  Octo.  1702.     Read  and  sent  down. 

Is?  ADDINGTON  Secry. 
Octobr  :    i  7"'  i  702. 
Read  in  the  house  of  Representatives. 
In  answer  to  y°  prayer  of  Enoch  Lawrence,  ye  petitioner 
Resolved  that  the  said  Petition1"  be  freed  from  publick  Taxes  cS:  be 
allowed  and  paid  out  of  the  Publick  Treasury  of  the  Province  as  a 
Pension  during  his  life  :  three  pounds  pr  annu. 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence 

JAMS  CONVERSE  Speaker 
Oct°  19!'  1702.     In  Council. 

Read  and  Voted  a  Concurrance 

Is?  ADDINGTOX,  Secry. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXX.  583.] 


CHAPTER    III. 


QUEEN     ANNE'S    WAR. 


I. 

QUEEN  ANNE'S  WAR,  as  it  is  commonly  called  in  America, 
broke  out  in  the  year  1702,  when  England  declared  war 
against  France  and  Spain ;  and  the  American  colonies  were 
drawn  into  the  contest.  The  Indians  in  New  England  were 
in  sympathy  with  the  French;  and  they  kept  the  frontier 
settlements  continually  on  the  alert.  Strict  vigilance,  on  the 
part  of  the  colonists,  was  the  price  of  their  safety.  Military 
companies  were  still  held  under  discipline  and  drill,  and  from 
time  to  time  were  reviewed  by  the  proper  officers.  In  the 
year  1702,  Chief  Justice  Samuel  Sewall  accompanied  Gov- 
ernor Joseph  Dudley  through  Middlesex  County  on  a  tour 
of  inspection  ;  and  in  his  Diary,  under  date  of  October  28,  he 
writes :  — 

Went  to  Groton,  saw  Capt.  Prescot  and  his  company  in  Arms. 
(Govr  had  sent  to  them  from  Dunstable  that  would  visit  them). 
Lancaster  is  about  12  Miles  Southward  from  Groton.  Concord  is  16 
Miles  |  and  Ten- Rod  from  Groton. 

[Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  VI.  fifth  series,  67.] 

The  captain  of  this  company  was  Jonas  Prescott,  an  active 
man  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  He  was  a  blacksmith 


QUEEN   ANNE'S    WAR  87 


by  trade,  and  the  ancestor  of  a  long  line  of  distinguished 
families.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Colonel  William  Pres- 
cott,  the  commander  of  the  American  forces  at  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill;  who  was  himself  the  father  of  William  Fres- 
cott,  the  lawyer  and  jurist,  and  the  grandfather  of  William 
Hickling  Prescott,  the  historian. 

After  these  alarms  there  was  a  short  respite,  which  con- 
tinued till  1704;  when  the  frontier  towns  were  again  exposed 
to  savage  warfare,  and  this  town  suffered  with  the  others. 

Samuel  Penhallow,  in  "The  History  of  the  Wars  of  New- 
England"  (Boston,  1726),  thus  refers  to  the  attack  on  this 
place  in  August,  1704  :  The  Indians - 

afterwards  fell  on  Lancaster,  and  Groaton,  where  they  did  some 
Spoil,  but  not  what  they  expected,  for  that  these  Towns  were  season- 
ably strengthened.  .  .  . 

And  yet  a  little  while  after  they  fell  on  Groaton,  and  Nashaway 
[Lancaster],  where  they  kill'd  Lieut.  Wyler  [Wilder],  and  several 
more.  (Pages  24,  25.) 

In  the  library  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  is  a 
manuscript  diary  of  John  Marshall,  of  Braintree,  which  has 
the  following  entry :  — 

The  begining  of  this  month  of  august  [1704]  the  Indians  did 
mischeif  at  Lancaster  Killed  3  or  4  persons  burnt  their  meeting 
house  :  and  did  some  harm  allso  at  Groton.  the  same  week.  Killed 
one  or  more  :  about  200  men  went  out  after  them  who  weer  gone  20 
days  under  major  Taylor,  but  Returned  Without  doing  any  spoill  on 
them  : 

The  attack  on  Lancaster  was  on  July  31,  and  that  on 
Groton  probably  within  a  day  or  two  of  the  same  time. 

There  were  two  regiments  in  Middlesex  County  at  this 
period ;  one  made  up  of  men  living  in  towns  near  Boston, 
called  the  Lower  Regiment,  and  the  other  of  men  living  in 
the  more  distant  sections  of  the  county,  known  as  the  Upper 
Regiment.  The  following  letter,  from  Major  James  Converse, 


88  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

is  printed  in  the  Reverend  Samuel  Sewall's  "  History  of 
Woburn"  (pages  543,  544),  and  refers  to  "  ye  towns  in  yc 
Lower  Regain',"  meaning  the  towns  from  which  the  Lower 
Regiment  was  raised.  There  were  some  prowling  Indians  in 
the  neighborhood  at  this  time,  and  the  outlying  settlements 
were  alarmed :  - 

[Superscription] 

For  His  Excy.  Joseph  Dudly,  Esqr.  Capt".  Gen"  Gonr  In  Chief e,  &c. 

These. 

\VOOHN  August  i4th,  1704. 
May  it  pleas  Your  Excy. 

I  Received  Your  Excel"  Order  of  ye  lo']1  Courrant,  I  Rec'.'  it  y: 
same  day  about  4  in  y.  afternoone,  for  the  detaching  45  Soldiers 
&c  :  and  to  post  y'!1  in  3  squadrons  under  ye  Comand  of  a  Sarg'  to 
Each,  viz.  Groaton,  Lanchester  &  Malburow.  I  forthwith  sent  out 
my  Warrants  to  all  y'r  touns  in  ye  Lower  Regam1 ;  the  Soldiers  were 
all  Impress'1  y!  night  and  ye  nth  day  and  began  to  March,  the  12 
day  I  went  and  posted  them  according  to  Order,  Giueing  the  sarg1? 
written  Orders  to  obserue  till  further  Orders,  directing  them  to  take 
advice  of  the  Capts  of  the  Respectiue  touns  : 

At  Malburow,  John  Benjamin  sarg!  15  men  ^ 

Lanchester,  Benjamin  Wilson  sarg'  14  men  >-  45. 

Groaton,  Joseph  Child,  sarg'  16  men  3 

here  is  ye  whole  Number  Your  Excelencey  sent  for,  posted  according 
to  order.  I  think  there  are  too  many  garrasons  in  every  towne.  If 
these  men  be  Reposted,  one  at  a  garrason,  and  two  at  another,  I  shall 
account  my  labour  lost,  and  y.  men  next  to  thrown  away,  Saving 
alwayes,  what  is  in  Obedience  to  Your  Exc"  Comand  there  is  nothing 
lost  or  thrown  away. 

Exc1  Sr  I  pray  for  a  gracious  pardon,  and  am 

Your  Very  Humble  Ready  and  Obedient  Serv1 

JAMS.  CONVERSE. 

A  party  of  Indians,  numbering  about  thirty,  made  their 
appearance  in  town,  and  killed  a  man  on  the  night  of  October 
25,  1704.  Pursuit  was  at  once  made  for  them,  but  it  was  tin- 


QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR.  89 

successful.      "The  Boston  News-Letter,"  October  30,   1704, 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  affair :  — 

On  Wednesday  night  [October  25]  an  English  man  was  kill'd  in 
the  Woods  at  Groton  by  the  Indians  which  were  afterwards  descryed 
in  the  night  by  the  Light  of  their  Fires,  by  a  Person  Travailing  from 
Groton  to  Lancaster,  and  judged  they  might  be  about  Thirty  in  num- 
ber ;  pursuit  was  made  after  them,  but  none  could  be  found. 

From  Marshall's  Diary  we  learn  the  name  of  the  man  who 
was  slain.  It  is  there  recorded :  — 

on  the  25  day  [October,  1704,]  mr  Breck  was  ordained  at  marl- 
borrough.  the  next  day  a  man  was  killed  and  scalped  by  the  indians 
he  belonged  to  the  town  of  Groton  his  name  was  davis :  a  very  use- 
full  man  and  much  Lamented  : 

It  has  been  a  tradition  thaj^aaaxnet  Davis  was  killed  by  the 
Indians,  but  the  date  of  his  death  was  unknown ;  this  entry, 
however,  seems  to  fix  it.  It  is  said  to  have  happened  in 
the  early  part  of  the  evening,  while  he  was  taking  in  some 
clothes  which  had  been  washed  and  hung  out  to  dry.  He 
lived  near  the  present  "  Community,"  where  W.  Dickson 
resided  when  the  map  in  Mr.  Butler's  History  was  made;  and 
Davis's  Fordway  in  the  river  near  by,  named  after  him,  is  still 
remembered  by  the  older  people  of  that  neighborhood 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  inhabitants,  upon  the  renewal 
of  hostilities,  were  obliged  to  ask  for  help  from  the  General 
Court.  They  had  already  suffered  much  in  life  and  property, 
and  were  little  able  to  bear  new  burdens.  They  represented 
to  the  Governor  that  they  had  been  greatly  impoverished  by 
their  loss  of  horses  and  cattle,  of  corn  and  hay,  and  that 
they  were  scarcely  able  to  hold  out  much  longer;  but  the 
crowning  calamity  of  all  was  the  illness  of  the  minister,  Mr. 
Hobart,  which  prevented  him  from  preaching.  Their  means 
were  so  limited  that  they  could  not  support  him  and  supply 
his  place  besides.  They  were  obliged  to  earn  their  living  at 
the  peril  of  their  lives ;  and  some  were  thinking  of  leaving 


90  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

the  town.  They  spent  so  much  time  in  watching  and  guard- 
ing, that  they  seemed  to  be  soldiers  rather  than  farmers. 
Under  these  discouraging  circumstances  they  asked  for  help, 
and  were  allowed  out  of  the  public  treasury  twenty  pounds 
to  assist  them  in  procuring  another  minister,  besides  ten 
pounds  to  be  divided  among  those  who  were  the  greatest 
sufferers  in  the  late  attack  upon  them. 

Their  petition  to  the  General  Court  is  in  the  handwriting  of 
Jonas  Prescott,  and  gives  a  pathetic  account  of  their  situation. 
It  is  as  follows :  — 

To  his  exalancy  Joseph  Dutly  esquir  captain  genarall  comander  in  in 
and  oucr  hur  maiesties  pronines  of  the  masiacheusits  bay  in  new 
Ingland  and  to  the  honorable  counsil  and  raprasantitifes  in  genarall 
court  asambled  at  boston  this  Instant  Desember  1704  : 

The  humble  patition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  town  of  groton  in 
the  county  of  midlsax  in  the  prouians  aforesd  humbley  sheweth 

1  That  wharas  by  the  all  dessposing  hand  of  god  who  orders  all 
things  in  infinit  wisdom  it  is  our  portion  to  Hue  In  such  a  part  of  the 
land  which  by  reson  of  the  enemy  Is  becom  uary  dangras  as  by  wofull 
exsperiants  we  haue  fait  both  formarly  and  of  late  to  our  grat  damidg 
&  discoridgmant  and  spashaly  this  last  yere  hauing  lost  so  many  par- 
sons som  killed  som  captauated  and  som  ramoued  and  allso  much  corn 
&  cattell  and  horses  &  hay  wharby  wee  ar  gratly  Impouerrished  and 
brought  uary  low  &  in  a  uary  pore  capasity  to  subsist  any  longer     As 
the  barers  herof  can  inform  your  honors 

2  And  more  then  all  this  our  paster  mr  hobard  is  &  hath  been  for 
aboue  a  yere  uncapable  of  desspansing  the  ordinances  of  God  amongst 
vs  &  we  haue  aduised   with  the   Raurant   Elders  of  our  nayboring 
churches  and  thay  aduise  to  hyare  another  minister  and  to  saport  mr 
hobard  and  to  make  our  adras  to  your  honours     we  haue  but  litel  laft 
to  pay  our  deus  with  being  so  pore  and  few  In  numbr  athar  to  town  or 
cuntrey  &  we  being  a  frantere  town  &  lyable  to  dangor  there  being  no 
safty  in  going  out  nor  coming  in  but  for  a  long  time  we  haue  got  our 
brad  with  the  parel  of  our  Hues  &  allso  broght  uery  low  by  so  grat  a 
charg   of   bikling  garisons   &  fortefycations  by  ordur  of  athorety  & 
thar  is  saural  of  our  Inhabitants  ramoued  out  of  town  &  others  ar 


QUEEN    ANNE'S   WAR.  91 

prouiding  to  remoue.  axcapt  somthing  be  don  for  our  Incoridgment 
for  we  are  so  few  &  so  por  that  we  canot  pay  two  ministors  nathar 
ar  we  wiling  to  Hue  without  any  we  spand  so  much  time  in  wach- 
mg  and  warding  that  we  can  doe  but  litel  els  &  truly  we  haue  liued 
allmost  2  yers  more  like  soulders  then  other  wise  &  accapt  your 
honars  can  find  out  som  bater  way  for  our  safty  and  support  we 
cannot  uphold  as  a  town  ather  by  remitting  our  tax  or  tow  alow  pay 
for  building  the  sauarall  forts  alowed  and  ordred  by  athority  or  alls 
to  alow  the  one  half  of  our  own  Inhabitants  to  be  under  pay  or  to 
grant  liberty  for  our  remufe  Into  our  naiburing  towns  to  tak  cor  for 
oursalfs  all  which  if  your  honors  shall  se  meet  to  grant  you  will 
hereby  gratly  incoridg  your  humble  pateceners  to  conflect  with  the 
many  trubls  we  are  ensadent  unto 

whar  fore  your  humble  pationars  humbly  prays  your  axcalancy  &  this 
honared  court  to  tak  this  mater  into  your  scares  consedration  and 
grant  releef  acordingly  and  your  pationars  shall  as  in  duty  bound 
foreur  pray 

by  ordur  of  the  town  of  groton 

JONAS  PRESCOTT 
JAMES  NUTTING 
JOSEPH  LAKEN 

Jan7  2?  1704     Read.  SAMUEL  PARKER 

Janrf  3  :   1704  In  the  House  of  Representatives. 

In  Answer  to  the  Petition  on  the  other  side 

Resolved  That  there  be  allowed,  and  Paid  out  of  the  Publick  Treas- 
ury, the  sum  of  Twenty  Pounds,  to  the  Town  of  Grotton  to  Encourage 
&  Assist  them  in  Procuring  another  Minister,  to  help  them  under  the 
present  Disability  of  their  Pastour  Mr.  Hubbard,  &  Ten  Pounds  more 
be  allowed  &  Paid  out  of  the  publick  Treasury,  to  Jonathan  Tyng 
Esq.  &  Mr  Nathan!  Hill,  to  be  by  them  proportionably  distributed 
to  such  of  the  sd  Town,  as  in  their  Judgment  have  been  greatest  suf- 
ferers, in  the  late  outrages  made  upon  them  by  the  Enemy 

Sent  up  for  concurrence. 

JAMS  CONVERSE  Speaker 
In  Council.  Read  and  concurr'd. 

IsA  ADDINGTON  Secry 
4th  January.     1 704. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXI.  107,  108.] 


92  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

. » 

Two  years  later,  another  assault  was  made  on  the  town, 
though  with  little  damage.  I  again  quote  from  Penhallow's 
History  of  the  Wars  of  New-England :  — 

[July  21,  1706.]  Several  Strokes  were  afterwards  made  on  Chelms- 
ford,  Sudbury  and  Groton,  where  three  Soldiers  as  they  were  going  to 
publick  Worship,  were  way-laid  by  a  small  Party,  who  kill'd  two,  and 
made  the  other  a  Prisoner.  (Page  36.) 

A  few  additional  particulars  of  these  "  Strokes  "  are  found 
in  the  Reverend  John  Pike's  Journal,  printed  in  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  for  September, 
1875:- 

July  21,  1706.  Sab  :  2  souldiers  slain,  <$:  one  carried  away  by  the 
enemy  at  Groton.  They  were  all  new-Cambridge  [Newton]  men,  cV 
were  returned  to  their  Post  from  one  Bloods  house,  who  had  invited 
ym  to  Dinner.  (XIV.  143.) 

Marshall,  in  his  Diary,  briefly  alludes  to  this  affair  thus :  — 
on  the  21  [July]  they  Killed  2  and  took  one  captive  at  groton. 

The  Reverend  Jonathan  Homer,  in  his  History  of  New- 
ton,  as  published  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections, 
V.  2/3,  gives  the  names  of  these  men  as  John  Myrick,  Na- 
thaniel Heal}',  and  Ebenezer  Seger,  and  says  they  were  all 
three  killed  by  the  Indians.  This  statement,  however,  is  in- 
accurate, as  John  Myrick  was  not  one  of  the  three  soldiers, 
and  furthermore  was  alive  after  this  date.  It  is  sufficiently 
clear  from  the  following  contemporaneous  petitions  that  two 
of  these  men  were  brothers  by  the  name  of  Seager,  and  the 
third  one  was  Nathaniel  Healy.  It  was  one  of  the  Seager 
brothers  who  was  taken  prisoner. 

To  his  Excellency  Joseph  Dudley  Esqr  Captain  Gcnerall  and  Gorcr- 
nour  in  Chief  in  and  Orcr  her  Majesties  Province  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts bay  &>  the  Honb!f  f.  Council  &>  Representatives  in  General  I 
Court  Assembled  — 

The  Humble  Petition  of  Nathaniel  Healy  of  Newtown  in  said 
Province 


QUEEN    ANNE'S   WAR.  93 

< 

May  it  please  your  Excellf  Your  Humble  Petitioner  having  at  his 
own  proper  Cost  Armed  his  Son  Nathaniel  Healy  into  her  Majesties 
Service  under  the  Command  of  Capt"  Josiah  Parker  At  Groton  on  the 
21  day  of  July  1706.  Yo'  Petitioners  said  Son  was  slain  and  his  Gun 
Carried  away  by  the  Enemy  who  Waylaid  him  and  Others  as  they  were 
going  to  Meeting  On  the  Sabbath  day 

Your  Petitioner  humbly  Prays  that  he  may  be  Supplied  with  Another 
Gun  at  the  Province  Charge  for  Another  of  his  Sons,  Or  be  otherwise 
allowed  as  Your  Excellency  shall  think  meet 

And  Your  Petitioner  as  in  duty  bound  shall  ever  pray  &c 

NATHANAEL  HEALY 

In  the  House  of  Representatives. 

June  5'!'  1707.     Read. 

Resolved  That  the  Sum  of  Twenty  Shillings  be  Allowed  &  Paid 
out  of  the  publick  Treasury  to  Nath1'  Healy  the  Petitioner  in  full  for 
the  Gun  above  mentioned 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence. 

JOHN  BURRILL  Speakr 

[Endorsed] 

5°  June.  1707.  In  Council. 

Read  and  Concurr'd 

IsA  ADDINGTON  Secry 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXI.  345.] 

To  His  Excellency  the  Governour  And  the  Honorable  Councill  &•  to 
the  Representatives  the  humble  Petition  of  Henry  Seager  of  New- 
toum 

Sheweth 

That  yr  Petitioner  had,  The  Summer  before  Last,  Two  Sons  prest 
out  in  to  ye  Countreys  Service  at  Groton,  And  were  whilst  in  the  Ser- 
vice by  the  Providence  of  God,  one  of  them  Kill'd  by  the  Enimy  ye 
other  Taken  Captive  ;  So  y!  they  both  of  them  Lost  their  Arms  wdl  I 
think  were  Justly  valuable  at  five  pounds,  and  four  Powder  horns,  half 
a  Pound  of  Powder,  twenty  bullets  &  a  Snapsack, 


94  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

• 

Yr  Petitioner  therefore  humbly  prays  that  he  may  be  Considered 
herein,  out  of  the  Countrey  Treasure  as  shall  be  yr  Good  Pleasure 
And  yr  Petitioner  shall  ever  Pray  &ca 

HENRY     H     SEAGER 

[his  mark] 
4°  Novm  1707 

In  Council. 
Read  and  Recommended  to  the  House. 

[Endorsed] 

In  the  House  of  Representatives 
Nov  :  14:    1707.     Read. 

In  Answer  to  the  Petition  on  the  other  side 

Resolved  That  the  sum  of  forty  shillings  be  Allowed  &  Paid,  out  of 
the  publick  Treary  to  Henry  Seager  the  Petitioner. 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence. 

JOHN  BURRILL  Speak' 
15°  Nov.  1 707. 

In  Council 
Read  and  Concurr'd 

Is  ADDINGTON  Secry. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXI.  419.] 

Penhallow,  in  his  History,  gives  several  instances  of  ex- 
treme cruelty  to  the  prisoners  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  and 
mentions  the  following  case  of  a  man  who  was  captured  in 
this  town :  — 

A  third  was  of  Samuel  Butterfield,  who  being  sent  to  Groton  as  a 
Soldier,  was  with  others  attackt,  as  they  were  gathering  in  the  Harvest ; 
his  bravery  was  such,  that  he  kill'd  one  and  wounded  another,  but 
being  overpower'd  by  strength,  \vas  forc'd  to  submit ;  and  it  hapned 
that  the  slain  Indian  was  a  Sagamore,  and  of  great  dexterity  in  War, 
which  caused  matter  of  Lamentation,  and  enrag'd  them  to  such  degree 
that  they  vow'd  the  utmost  revenge  ;  Some  were  for  whipping  him  to 
Death  ;  others  for  burning  him  alive  ;  but  differing  in  their  Sentiments, 
they  submitted  the  Issue  to  the  Squaw  Widow,  concluding  she  would 
determine  something  very  dreadful,  but  when  the  matter  was  opened, 
and  the  Fact  considered,  her  Spirits  were  so  moderate  as  to  make  no 
other  reply,  than,  "  Fortune  L'guarc.  Upon  which  some  were  uneasy  ; 


QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR.  95 

to  whom  she  answered,  If  by  killing  him,  you  can  bring  my  Husband 
to  life  again,  I  beg  you  to  study  what  Death  you  please ;  but  if  not  let 
him  be  my  Servant ;  which  he  accordingly  was,  during  his  Captivity, 
and  had  favour  shewn  him."  (Pages  38,  39.) 

The  account  of  Butterfield's  case  was  in  substance  originally 
printed  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "A  MEMORIAL  of  the 
Present  Deplorable  STATE  of  New  England"  (1707),- 
now  of  great  rarity,  —  which  appeared  twenty  years  before 
Judge  Penhallow's  History  was  published.  This  pamphlet 
has  since  been  reprinted  in  the  introduction  to  the  sixth 
volume,  fifth  series,  of  the  "  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society."  The  account  is  as  follows:  — 

A  Man  had  Valiantly  Killed  an  Indian  or  two  before  the  Salvages 
took  him.  He  was  next  Morning  to  undergo  an  horrible  Death, 
whereof  the  Manner  and  the  Torture  was  to  be  assigned  by  the 
Widow  Squa  of  the  Dead  Indian.  The  French  Priests  told  him,  they 
had  indeavoured  to  divert  the  Tygres  from  ther  bloody  Intention,  but 
could  not'prevail  with  them  ;  he  must  prepare  for  the  terrible  Execu- 
tion. His  cries  to  God  were  hard,  and  heard ;  when  the  Sentence  of 
the  Squa,  was  demanded,  quite  contrary  to  every  ones  Expectation, 
and  the  Revengeful  Inclination  so  usual  and  well-known  among  these 
Creatures,  she  only  said,  His  Death  won't  fetch  my  Husband  to  Life; 
Do  not/iing  to  him  !  So  nothing  was  done  to  him.  (Page  58.*) 

Butterfield  remained  a  captive  for  more  than  a  year.  It  is 
not  known  how  he  obtained  his  release.  His  petition  to  the 
General  Court  sets  forth  the  fact  that  he  was  an  inhabitant  of 
Chelmsford,  and  was  sent  by  Captain  Jerathmel  Bowers  to 
Groton,  in  order  to  help  Colonel  Taylor,  in  August,  1704, 
when  the  enemy  came  upon  the  place.  It  is  as  follows :  - 

To  his  Excellency  Joseph  Dudley  Esqr  Cap'.  General  and  Cover nor  in 
Chief  and  To  the  Honoblf  the  Coitncil  and  House  of  Representatives 
now  in  General  Assembly  convened  at  Boston  within  6*  for  her 
Majesties  Province  of  the  Massachus*.  Bay  April  10"'  1706. 

The  Humble  Petition  of  Samuel  Butterfield  Sheweth 
*     That  yo'  Petitioner  is  an  Inhabitant  of  the  Town  of  Chelmsford, 


96  QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR. 

and  in  the  month  of  August  1704,  when  the  Enemy  came  upon 
Nashoway  &  Groton  &  :  yor  Petitioner  (with  others)  was  sent  out  by 
the  Cap'  Jerathmel  Bowers  to  Groton  to  assist  Col :  Taylor,  when  yor. 
Petitioner  being  ordered  out  with  some  others  to  Guard  a  Man  who 
was  going  to  work  in  the  field,  the  Enemy  came  upon  them,  killd  one 
man  and  took  yo!"  Petitioner  and  one  other  Prisoners,  tho  yo[  Petitioner 
made  all  the  resistance  possible,  killed  one,  and  knockt  down  two 
more  after  they  had  seized  him,  for  which  yor  Petitioner  was  cruelly 
used  by  them  afterwards  &  threatened  to  be  burnt,  several  times. 
May  it  please  this  Great  and  Generall  Assembly.  yor  Petitioner  was 
very  well  accoutred  in  all  respects  when  he  was  taken,  and  then  was 
stript  of  all  and  was  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  months  a  Captive 
exposd  to  great  hardships,  and  has  sustained  great  Loss  and  damage. 

Yor  Petitioner  therefore  humbly  prays  the  favor  of  this  great  and 
General  Assembly  to  take  the  premises  into  yor  serious  Consideration 
and  Grant  him  such  Recompense  for  his  Losses  and  sufferings,  as 
afores'.1  as  to  yoT.  wisdom  and  Goodness  shall  seem  meet. 

and  yor  Petitioner  (as  in  duty  bound)  shall  ever  pray  &c. 

SAMUELL  BUTTERFIELD 
[Endorsed] 

Apr!1  10  :   1706,  Read. 

In  the  House  of  Representative 

Resolved  That  the  Sum  of  Five  Pounds  be  allowed,  &  Paid  out  of 
the  Publick  Treasury  to  Sam!1  Butterfield  the  Petitioner  in  Considera- 
tion of  his  Losse,  &  service. 
Sent  up  for  concurrence. 

THOMAS  OAKES  Speaker 
April.  1 1.  1 706. 

In  Council. 

Read  &  concurr'd. 

Is?  ADDINGTON  Secry. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXI.  195,  196.] 

Butterfield  had  previously  received,  October  27,  1/04,  a 
bounty  of  four  pounds  for  killing  the  Indian  mentioned  in 
this  petition ;  but  the  present  award  was  for  his  services  and 
personal  loss. 


QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR.  97 

The  following  petition  to  the  Governor  was  presented  in  the 
year  1706,  probably  in  the  summer,  as  at  that  time  the  town 
was  engaged  in  settling  the  Reverend  Mr.  Bradstreet  as  the 
minister:  — 

To  his  Excellency  Joseph  Dudley  Esq  Cap'.  General  and  Govern"  in 
Cheif  in  and  over  her  Majestyes  Province  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bay  &*c.  and  to  the  Hobte  the  Council  and  Representatives  of  s'' 
Province. 

Wee  the  inhabitants  of  the  Towne  of  Groton  cannot  but  with  all 
thankfulness  acknowledge  the  great  Care  that  his  Excy  and  Govern! 
hath  taken  for  our  Preservation  and  defense  in  these  times  of  danger. 
Notwithstanding  all  which,  wee  have  bin  by  our  Enemy  extreamly 
impoverished  not  being  capable  of  making  those  improvements  which 
are  necessary  for  our  subsistance,  but  our  Outlands  upon  which  wee 
have  a  Considerable  dependance  lye  neglected ;  and  many  of  us  are 
reduced  to  the  Last  necessity ;  our  Stocks  are  like  to  Suffer  much  in 
the  Winter ;  and  are  in  great  fears  that  wee  have  mett  wth  Considerable 
losses  in  them  already  from  the  Enemy  and  wee  are  now  at  Extream 
Charge  in  the  Settling  of  our  Minister  ;  So  that  wee  are  greatly  reduced 
and  impoverished ; 

Wee  would  therefore  humbly  intreat  that  our  Languishing  Circum- 
stances may  be  taken  into  your  Consideration ;  and  that  our  propor- 
tion of  the  Publique  tax  may  this  year  be  remitted  to  us ;  and  wee 
hope  that  not  only  our  present  afflicted  State  but  our  future  duty- 
full  deportment  will  be  Such  as  may  testifie  for  us,  and  afford 
yor  honrs  Satisfaction  in  so  notable  an  instance  of  Charity,  and 
Compassion 

JONAS  PRESCOTT 
JONATHAN  LAWRENCE 
JN"  FARNESWORTH 


|  Select 


NATH.  WOODS 
ROBT.  ROBBIN 
In  behalf  of  the  Towne  of  Groton 


(    men. 

NS  ) 


IMassachusetts  Archives,  CXIII.  391. ] 

7 


98  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

The  following  account  of  a  court-martial,  held  at  Gro- 
ton,  has  some  interest  from  the  fact  that  it  gives  the  names  of 
a  few  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  public  service  at  that  time. 
The  officers  composing  the  court-martial  were  undoubtedly 
in  command  of  companies  in  this  neighborhood  :  - 

GROTON  Febr  17,  1706-7 
i  o  clock  in  ye    morning 
May  it  please  your  Excy. 

I  rec'.1  your  Excy  s  Letter,  and  immediatly  upon  the  return 
of  our  forces  this  evening  CalPd  a  Court  Marshal  and  made  perticuler 
inquisitio  into  Waymans  affair,  the  Coppy  of  which  I  send  enclosed, 
and  pray  your  Excellencye's  perticuler  direction  thereupon  :  Tarbol 
who  was  the  person  who  pretended  the  discovery  altho.  imprudent  and 
so  blamable  yet  would  begg  your  Excellencyes  favour  for  him  as  a  very 
honest  man  willing  to  do  service  and  infinitely  concern'd  for  this  ill 
accident,  So  that  the  uneasiness  and  trouble  that  has  posses'd  him  is 
in  it  self  so  considerable  a  punishment  that  he  seems  to  need  no 
other  Gladly  should  wee  have  found  out  the  Ringleaders  of  the  mutin- 
ous and  disorderly  returne  but  after  much  Examination  cant  effect  it. 
Wee  all  wait  your  Excys  ordrs  and  shall  proceed  accordingly  and  am 
Yor  Exeys  most  obedt  Servt 

EPHR  :  HUNT. 

Die  Solis  Ferbuary  16.  1706-7. 

At  a  Court  Marshal  held  at  Groton  By  orders  of  his  Excellency 
[Joseph  Dudley], -For  the  Tryal  of  Leiv!  Seth  Wayman,  Serj!  Thomas 
Tarbol  and  Comp'1  &c. 

Present 

Col°  Ephraim  Hunt  Presid' 

Cap'  Jonathan  Prescott.  Cap'  Jonas  Prescott 

Cap!  Josiah  Parker  Cap'  Steph.  Williams 

Cap!  Thomas  Nichols  Cap'  Joseph  Bulkeley 

Cap'  Benjamin  Willard. 

Col°  Eph.  Hunt  the  Presid!  opned  the  Court,  By  declaring  them- 
selves by  his  Excellencys  perticulr  Ordr  to  be  a  Court  Marshal  for 
ye  Tryal  of  Lieu'  Seth  Wayman,  for  a  false  report  brought  by  sd  Way- 


QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR.  99 

man  of  the  discovery  of  the  Indian  Enemy  near  Monadnock  on  the 
6th  instant,  and  for  their  returne  home,  in  a  mutinous  disorderly  man- 
ner without  Endeavours  after  a  Sufficient  discovery. 

Liev'  Seth  Wayman  examin'd  about  the  sending  out  of  his  scouts 
on  the  Sixth  instant  sayth  that 

On  the  Sixth  instant  on  our  incamping  on  Sun  about  an  hour  high 
wee  Sent  out  Two  Scouts,  of  four  men  each  ;  One  to  march  on  the 
left  Wing ;  the  other  on  the  Right ;  To  march  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
right  out  upon  discovery  from  the  Noyse  of  our  Hatchetts 

He  further  Saith  that  after  they  had  bin  upon  the  Scout  about  an 
hour,  that  he  Saw  both  Scouts  returning  together,  running  towards  our 
Camp  as  men  affrightened,  and  called  to  me  at  a  distance  to  put 
out  our  fires,  for  they  had  discover'd  a  Body  of  the  Enemy.  Then 
Corp!  Tarbol  coming  up  to  me  told  me  that  he  had  discover'd  the 
Enemy ;  The  first  of  their  Camps  that  he  discover'd,  he  sd  the  Noyse 
of  their  Hatchetts,  were  as  bigg  as  our  Company,  and  so  reached  halfe 
a  mile. 

The  other  part  of  our  Scout  told  me  they  had  discover'd  the  Track 
of  Doggs,  which  they  Judg'd  to  be  Twenty  or  Thirty. 

Corp!  Tarbol  conduct  of  the  Scout  March'd  on  the  Right  wing ; 
being  Examined  concerning  his  discovery  saith 

That  they  took  a  Circuler  March  till  they  had  stear'd  out  of  the 
noyse  of  our  owne  Camp  ;  and  then  thinking  wee  had  heard  the  Noyse 
of  our  owne  Hatchetts,  wee  took  another  Circle  to  the  left  that  wee 
might  be  sure  wee  were  out  of  the  noyse  of  Hatchetts ;  After  a 
short  time  travelling  wee  heard  a  noyse  of  Hatchetts,  upon  the  left 
wing  on  the  side  of  a  Hill  which  was  near  us  upon  which  wee  march'd 
towards  the  Place  upon  discovery,  and  presently  I  discover'd  a  Smoak 
and  immediatly  march'd  towards  it  till  the  smoke  cover'd  me  ; 
(leaving  the  rest  of  the  men  behind)  I  then  heard  a  great  discourse 
of  men  which  I  took  to  be  Indians  and  French,  and  so  it  held  a 
Considerable  way  round  the  Hill,  at  least  half  a  mile  as  I  judged, 
upon  which  wee  return'd  another  way  till  wee  came  to  our  owne 
tracks  ;  and  then  wee  met  with  the  other  Scout,  and  upon  our  ac- 
count to  them  of  what  wee  had  discov'd,  they  told  us  they  had  met 
with  a  track  of  twenty  or  Thirty  Doggs,  which  they  Judg'd  to  be  the 
Enemyes  Doggs,  upon  which  we  return'd  together  to  the  Camp,  to 
make  report  to  our  Cap'  Comander  and  thereupon  Liev!  Wayman  our 


100  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

CoiTiandr  call'd  his  Officers  together,  hut  before  he  had  liberty  to  speak 
his  men  interrupted  him  ;  he  bid  them  move  off,  Scatter,  and  stand  on 
their  Guard,  upon  which  three  quarters  of  our  men  ran  away  home- 
wards, the  Cap:  Sent  his  Serjeants  and  went  himself  to  stop  them,  but 
could  not  do  it,  and  so  wee  were  forced  to  march  home. 

Samuel  Shaddock  and  William  Nutting  of  Serf  Tarbol's  scout  con- 
firm e  Tarbol's  account,  and  perticulerly  that  article  of  the  disorderly 
returning  of  our  men  or  riming  away  from  their  Cap!  upon  the  infor- 
mation rec'1  of  this  discovery. 

The  Examination  of  Samuel  Scripture  (Conduct  of  the  Scout  on  the 
left  wing  who  saith  That  on  the  sixth  of  february  upon  our  incamping 
I  was  sent  upon  discovery  about  Sun  an  hour  high  at  night  to  march  on 
the  left  wing,  and  having  march'd  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  wee  met 
with  a  Track  which  Jonathan  Butterfield  who  was  wth  me  thought  to 
have  bin  a  bitch  wolfe  and  her  Whelps,  but  I  thought  to  be  Indian 
Doggs,  and  followed  their  track  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  after  a 
small  Stop  wee  saw  Tarbols  scout  who  call'd  us  away  and  told  us  they 
believ'd  there  was  a  thousand  Indians  upon  which  wee  hastened  away 
but  Tarbols  scout  ran  so  fast  that  I  could  not  come  up  with  them  to 
undrstand  what  their  discovery  was  till  I  came  to  the  Cam]) ;  where 
Tarbol  related  what  he  had  seen,  all  our  men  Crowded  to  hear  news  ; 
Lieu1  Wyman  Ordrd  his  men  to  stand  farther  off  and  give  room  that 
he  might  discourse  his  officers,  upon  which  many  of  them  ran  away, 
and  the  Cap'  Sent  Serf  Parham  to  stop  them  ;  Lieu'  Wayman  seing 
his  men  desert  him,  and  Tarbols  men  representing  yc  Enemy  as  so 
very  numerous  thought  it  adviseable  to  draw  off  and  accordingly  wee 
made  the  best  of  our  way  home. 

The  PLxam.  of  Jonathan  Butterfield  being  of  the  scout  on  the  Left 
wing  Confirmes  Sam1  Scriptures  information,  and  tells  us  Lieu!  Wa\  - 
man  talk'd  of  marching  immediately  to  the  Place  of  discovery  but 
many  of  our  men  moved  off  disorderly  which  the  Cap'  sent  the 
Serf."  to  Stopp,  but  could  not  do  it  and  so  were  forced  to  return 
home. 

Serf  Jn"  Parham  being  examin'd  upon  the  Article  of  Lieu'  Waymans 
men's  disorderly  and  mutinous  running  away  sayth 

That  Above  half  of  them  ran  away  upon  Tarbol's  Examination 
and  that  Leiv'  Wayman  sent  him  after  them  with  Orders  to  turne 
about  and  fire  in  case  of  an  attack  in  the  rear. 


QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR.  1OI 

Leiv'  Seth  Wayman  being  examin'd  of  his  proceedings  upon  his 
receiving  advice  of  Tarbols  Scout  Sayth 

That  upon  recieving  this  account  he  incouraged  his  men  by  telling 
them  that  they  had  a  brave  advantage  of  the  Enemy,  in  that  they  had 
discover'd  them  and  were  not  themselves  discover'd,  and  there  was  a 
great  prospect  of  doing  Spoil  upon  them,  and  determined  that  four 
squadrons  of  men  which  wee  had  stated,  should  fall  upon  four  scouts 
of  the  Enemy  My  officers  advised  me  not  to  go  on,  saying  it 
would  be  presumption,  and  an  apparent  hazzard  of  mens  lives  to  En- 
counter so  great  a  Company,  upon  which  Serj'  Tarbol  threw  down 
his  Cap,  and  offer'd  himself  to  go  if  but  four  men  would  go  with 
him,  but  officers  advising  to  the  Company  and  many  of  my  men 
withdrawing  and  running  away  disorderly  I  found  myself  too  weak  to 
attaque  them  and  accordingly  made  the  best  of  my  way  home 

[Endorsed] 

Court  Martial  at  Groton.     1 6°  FebT  1 706. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LI.  153-157.] 

At  various  times  in  its  early  history,  the  town  was  threat- 
ened by  bands  of  roving  Indians,  who  did  whatever  damage 
lay  in  their  power  to  do.  Such  incursions  kept  the  inhab- 
itants on  the  alert,  and  from  time  to  time  companies  were 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  scouring  the  neighborhood.  It 
was  in  an  emergency  of  this  kind,  probably,  that  Lieutenant 
Wayman's  company  was  reconnoitring  through  the  region 
around  and  about  the  Monadnock  Mountain. 

On  March  12,  1694-5,  an  Act  was  passed  by  the  General 
Court,  which  prohibited  the  desertion  of  frontier  towns  by 
the  inhabitants,  unless  permission  was  first  granted  by  the 
Governor  and  Council.  There  were  eleven  such  towns,  and 
Groton  was  one  of  them.  The  law  required  the  inhabitants 
of  these  out-towns,  who  owned  land  or  houses,  to  take  out  a 
special  license,  on  pain  of  forfeiting  their  property,  before 
they  could  quit  their  homes  and  live  elsewhere.  It  was 
thought  that  the  interest  of  the  Crown  would  be  prejudiced. 


102  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

and  encouragement  given  to  the  enemy,  if  any  of  these 
posts  were  deserted,  or  exposed  by  lessening  their  strength. 
Many  towns  were  threatened  by  the  Indians  about  this  time, 
and  a  few  were  attacked.  It  is  recorded  that  some  of  the 
settlers  here  left  the  town,  and  there  was  probably  a  move- 
ment among  the  inhabitants  in  other  places  to  do  the  same. 
This  fact,  undoubtedly,  occasioned  the  enactment,  which  was 
to  remain  in  force  "  unto  the  end  of  the  session  of  the  gen- 
eral assembly  to  convene  in  May,  one  thousand  six  hundred 
ninety-six  (if  the  present  war  so  long  last),  and  no  longer, 
nor  afterwards." 

A  similar  Act  was  again  passed  on  March  22,  1699-1700, 
which  embraced  fourteen  frontier  towns,  of  which  Groton  was 
one,  and  seven  other  towns  that  "  lye  more  open  than  many 
others  to  an  attack  of  an  enemy."  This  enactment  had  a 
limitation  in  point  of  time  similar  to  the  preceding  one. 
Subsequently  this  Act  was  revived  on  June  8,  1702,  with  the 
limitation,  though  no  towns  arc  specified  by  name ;  again  on 
June  28,  1706,  it  was  re-enacted,  to  remain  in  force  until  June 
29,  1707;  and  still  later,  but  not  for  the  last  time,  it  was 
passed  on  June  10,  1707.  This  continuous  legislation  to 
prevent  the  desertion  of  the  frontiers  shows  clearly  the  un- 
settled condition  of  the  out-lying  towns  during  Queen  Anne's 
War,  and  Groton  was  no  exception.  In  the  following  letter, 
Captain  Josiah  Parker  refers  to  the  law,  which  was  passed  a 
month  before  the  date  of  writing:  — 

On  a  lecter  day.  Groton  July  9.  1707 

May  it  plese  your  Excelency  I  have  Read  your  Excelencyes  order 
to  ye  Inhabitants  and  the  law  against  deserting  the  frontiers,  I  could  do 
it  no  sooner  for  several  of  the  inhabitants  ware  gon  to  plainfeild  and 
Returned  yesterday,  only  two  stayd  behind  ;  Sr  one  of  those  that 
designe  to  Remove  is  the  Barer  &  a  selectman  and  lives  on  the  outsid 
the  Towne.  I  thought  good  to  send  him,  who  can  acquaint  your 
Excelencey  who  is  Removed  &  who  are  meditating  the  same 

Cap'  Bulkely  &  h  his  men  are  gon  to  Lancaster  and  the  other  halfe 


QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR.  103 

here,  and  do  Expect  a  Relece  thay  being  men  of  concidrable  husban- 
drey  ;  ye  most  of  them,  all  y°  people  that  will  worke  in  Companeys  have 
gards  to  Cover  them  to  their  Content,  if  your  Excelencey  Plese  I 
should  very  glad  of  a  Relie  ;  I  am  your 

Excelences  most  Humble 

Servent  JOSIAH  PARKER 

[Superscribed] 

To  His 

Excelencey  The 

Gounour  att 

Roxbury 
On  Her  Majts  Service 

GROTON  July  9.  1707. 
May  it  please  yor  Excy. 

According  to  yor  Excyes  Cofnands  wee  have  Sent  an  account  of 
those  that  are  either  actually  remov'd,  or  meditating  of  it.  Our  Peo- 
ple are  reduc'd  to  that  degree  that  they  find  themselves  unable  to 
subsist  any  long!:  Would  pray  your  Excy  either  to  grant  Liberty  for 
their  Remove  or  that  they  may  be  reduc'd  here  intirely  to  a  Garrison 
(of  the  Towne  militia)  for  the  preserving  the  frontiers  ;  wee  thankfully 
acknowledge  your  Excyes  great  Care  of  us  hitherto,  and  would  pray 
the  Continuance  of  your  Regards,  without  which  wee  are  an  undon 
people  Wee  take  leave  to  subscribe 

(may  it  please  yor  Excy) 

Your  Excys  most  obed'  Servls 

JOSEPH  LAKIN 

Town  clarck 
JOHN  FARNSWORTH 

JONATHAN    BOIDON 

JOSEPH  LAKIN         ; 


H  ^ 
/ 

N     }• 


men 


[Superscribed] 

To  His  Excelencey 

The  Gounour  att 
Roxbury 


IO4 


QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 


GROTTO N  July  ye  9  day  1707 

Joseph  Paraham 
Samuill  Dauis 
Danill  Cadein 
John  Cadein 
John  hoare 
Samuill  farnsworth 
Joseph  Boidon 
Josiah  Whetney 
Corenallus  Whitney 
Joseph  lawranc 
Ebenezer  Nutting 
of  persons  gon 


John  Stem 

Jonathan  Pag 

Nathanill  Woods 

Danill  lawranc 

John  Shattuck 

Nathanill  Parker 

Benimin  Lakin 

Jonathan  boidon 

John  huchin 

Zachariah  lawranc 

Edman  Chambrlin 

John  Hall 

Samuell  Shattuck 

Zerrubbubl  Kamp 

Zachariah  Sartwall 

John  Gilson 

Abraham  lakin 

Josiah  lakin 

Joseph  lakin 

Willuam  Lakin 

Willuam  Shattuck 

John  Farnsworth 

of  the  persons  that  are  consedring  of  going 

JOSEPH  LAKIN          \   Se]act 

IOHN  FARNWORTH  > 

;     men 
JONATHAN  BOIDON  ) 

JOSEPH  LAKIN 

Town  clarck 

for  Groton 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  CXIII.  418-420.] 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Brown  was  killed  here,  on  June  1 1, 
1/07.  The  affair  is  thus  referred  to  in  Pike's  Journal,  printed 
in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
for  September,  1875  :  - 

Jun.  ii,  1707.  mr  Dudley  Bradstreets  man  was  slain  by  the  Indians 
at  Groton  —  nomine  Brown.  (XIV.  145.) 


QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR.  105 


During  this  period  the  savages  were  still  skulking  in  the 
neighborhood,  doing  what  injury  they  could.  The  following 
item,  taken  from  "The  Boston  News-Lettcr,"  of  August  25, 
1707,  describes  an  event  which  alarmed  the  people  of  this 
town :  — 

On  Monday  last  the  i6th  Currant,  Thirteen  Indians  on  the  Fron- 
tiers, surprized  two  men  at  their  Labour  in  the  Meadows  at  Marl- 
borough,  about  4  miles  distant  from  the  Body  of  the  Town,  took 
them  both  alive ;  and  as  they  parted  out  of  the  Town,  took  a  Woman 
also  in  their  marching  off,  whom  they  kill'd  :  How  one  of  the  Pris- 
oners broke  away  in  a  Scuffle,  and  brought  home  the  Indians  Gun 
and  Hatchet,  and  acquainted  the  Garison  and  Inhabitants,  who 
speedily  followed  them,  and  were  joyned  by  20  from  Lancaster, 
being  in  all  40  odd  came  up  with  the  Enemy,  who  were  also  en- 
creased  to  36,  and  on  Tuesday  at  ten  of  the  Clock  found  them,  and 
in  two  hours  exchanged  ten  Shot  a  man,  in  which  Skirmish  we  lost 
two  men,  and  had  too  slightly  wounded  ;  and  no  doubt  we  kill'd  sev- 
eral of  the  Enemy,  whose  Tracts  of  being  dragg'd  away  we  saw,  but 
recover'd  but  one  of  them,  tho'  tis  probably  conjectur'd  that  we  kill'd 
10  or  12  at  least ;  we  took  24  of  their  Packs,  and  drove  them  off  their 
ground,  and  are  yet  pursued  by  two  Parties  of  the  Forces  from  Lan- 
caster and  Groton,  at  our  Forces  overtaking  and  attacking  the  Enemy, 
they  barbarously  murdered  the  Captive. 

The  people  must  have  lived  in  constant  dread  of  the  In- 
dians during  most  of  Queen  Anne's  War.  Sometimes  an 
outlying  farmhouse  was  attacked  and  burned,  some  of  the 
inmates  killed  and  others  carried  away  in  captivity ;  some- 
times the  farmer  was  shot  down  while  at  labor  in  the  field,  or 
while  going  or  coming.  This  was  the  fate  of  John  Shatttick, 
and  his  son  John,  a  young  man  about  nineteen  years  of  age, 
who  were  killed  May  8,  1709. 

They  were  returning  from  the  west  side  of  the  Nashua  River, 
where  Mr.  Shattuck  owned  land,  and  were  attacked  just  as 
they  were  crossing  the  Stony  Fordway,  near  the  present  site 
of  Hollingsworth's  paper-mills,  where  they  were  killed.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  Mr.  Shattuck  was  one  of  the  selectmen 
of  the  town.  During  the  autumn  of  1882  Messrs.  Tileston 


106  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

and  Hollingsworth,  of  Boston,  the  owners  of  the  mills,  caused 
a  suitable  stone' to  be  placed  by  the  wayside,  bearing  the 
following  inscription  :  — 


NEAR  THIS    SPOT 

JOHN    SHATTUCK, 

A  SELECTMAN  OF  GROTON, 

AND 

HIS    SON    JOHN 
WERE   KILLED    BY   THE    INDIANS, 

MAY  8,   iyog, 

WHILE     CROSSING     STONY    FORD\VAY, 

JUST  KELOW  THE  PRESENT  DAM. 

1882. 


A  remarkable  fatality  seems  to  have  followed  Mrs.  Shat- 
tuck's  kindred.  Her  husband  and  eldest  son  were  killed  by 
the  Indians,  as  has  just  been  mentioned.  Her  father,  James 
Blood,  was  likewise  killed,  September  13,  1692.  So  also 
were  her  uncle,  William  Longley,  his  wife  and  five  children, 
July  27,  1694;  and  three  others  of  their  children  were  carried 
away  into  captivity  at  the  same  time.  A  relative,  James 
Parker,  Jr.,  and  his  wife  were  killed  in  this  assault,  and  their 
children  taken  prisoners.  Her  step-father,  Enoch  Lawrence, 
received  a  wound  in  an  engagement  with  the  Indians,  proba- 
bly in  the  same  attack  of  July  27,  1694,  which  almost  wholly 
prevented  him  from  earning  a  livelihood  for  himself  and 
family.  The  three  Tarbell  children,  who  were  carried  off  to 
Canada  by  the  Indians,  June  20,  1/07,  were  cousins  of  Mrs. 
Shattuck.  John  Ames,  who  was  shot  by  the  savages  at  the 
gate  of  his  own  garrison,  July  9,  1724,  \vas  the  father  of 
Jacob,  who  married  her  niece,  Ruth  Shattuck.  And  lastly, 
her  son-in-law,  Isaac  Lakin,  the  husband  of  her  daughter 


QUEEN    ANNE'S   WAR.  107 

Elizabeth,  was  wounded  in  Lovewell's  Fight  at  Pequawket, 
May  8,  1725.  These  calamities  covered  a  period  of  only 
one  generation,  extending  from  the  year  1692  to  1725. 

The  Reverend  Wilkes  Allen,  in  his  "  History  of  Chelms- 
ford  "  (page  35,  note},  says  that  Major  Tyng  was  wounded  by 
the  Indians  between  Groton  and  Concord,  some  time  during 
the  year  1711,  and  that  he  was  taken  to  the  latter  town,  where 
he  died. 

Near  the  end  of  Queen  Anne's  War  there  were  eighteen 
garrisons  in  this  town,  containing,  in  all,  fifty-eight  families, 
or  three  hundred  and  seventy-eight  persons.  Of  this  num- 
ber, seventeen  were  soldiers  in  the  public  service.  The 
details  are  given  in  "A  List  of  Frontier  Garrisons  Reviewed 
by  Order  of  his  Excellency  the  Governour  [Joseph  Dudley], 
In  Novemb;  1711,"  as  follows:  - 

N'>                Garisons  Familys  Inhabit"1      Souldiers  Souls 

1  Serj'  Gillson  3  6  i  25 

2  Deacon  Whittneys  48  32 

3  Lieu*  Lawrance  i  i  2 

4  Cap1  Prescott  4  8  i  41 

5  Samuel  Parker  3  8  o  27 

6  Mr  Bradstreet  i  i  3  10 

7  M[  Hubbards  3  12  o  32 

8  M;  Lakins  7  9  i  30 

9  Ensg  Shipple  6  7  2  30 

10  Mr  Shaddock  5  6  2  26 

1 1  Corp0  Tarbell  4  6  2  23 

1 2  Mr  Holdings  i  3  2  12 

1 3  Ensf  Farnsworth  3  4  i  i  X 

14  Mr  Filbrick  7  8  o  40 

15  M[  Stones  2  3  o  12 

1 6  Chamberlain  i  4 

1 7  yc  Cap'  Mill  i  i  i  6 

1 8  Mr  Farnsworth  2218 


58  93 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXI.  874.] 


108  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  identify  the  several  sites  of  these 
garrison-houses,  but  that  is  no\v  impossible.  Mr.  Bradstreet's 
house  is  the  only  one  in  the  list  still  standing.  It  was  built 
during  the  year  1706,  and  is  situated  on  Hollis  Street;  it  was 
occupied  by  A.  W.  Churchill  when  the  map,  - —  opposite  to 
page  247,  —  in  Mr.  Butler's  History  was  made. 

Captain  Prescott  lived  at  the  southerly  end  of  the  village, 
on  the  farm  known  as  the  birthplace  of  Colonel  William 
Prescott.  Mr.  Hubbard  —  or  Hobart,  as  commonly  written  — 
dwelt  on  the  site  of  the  Baptist  Meeting-house.  Mr.  Lakin's 
house  was  probably  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  cemetery, 
and  Ensign  Shepley's  stood  near  by,  on  the  Martin's  Pond 
road.  Mr.  "  Shaddock  "  was  perhaps  William  Shattuck,  who 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  XVattle's  Pond;  and  Corporal  Tarbell's 
farm  is  now  occupied  by  James  Lawrence.  Captain  Pres- 
cott's  mill  at  the  Forge  Village,  now  in  Westford,  is  evidently 
meant  by  "  ye  Cap1  Mill." 

An  allusion  is  made  probably  to  some  one  captured  during 
Queen  Anne's  War,  in  the  following  extract  from  the  account 
of  a  "  Missionary  Tour  in  Maine,"  written  in  the  year  1/98, 
by  the  Reverend  Paul  Coffin,  and  printed  in  the  fourth  volume 
of  the  "  Collections  of  the  Maine  Historical  Society:  "  — 

Mr.  Russel  of  Canaan  [Maine]  told  me  he  lived  in  an  house  at 
Groton,  the  owner  of  which  was  captivated  by  the  indians,  about 
ninety  years  past  and  brought  to  Norridgwogg,  where  he  built  the  first 
Moss-house  which  the  indians  and  French  first  had  there.  This 
pleased  his  new  masters  so  well  that  they  gave  him  his  redemption. 
(Pages  379,  380.) 


QUEEN   ANNE'S    WAR.  109 


II. 

IN  a  list  of  prisoners  held  by  the  French  and  Indians  in 
Canada,  March  5,  1710-11,  are  the  names  of  "  Zech  :  Tarbal, 
John  Tarbal,  Sarah  Tarbal,  Matt.  Farnsworth  [and]  Lydia 
Longley"  (Archives,  LXXI.  765),  all  of  Groton,  though  no 
date  of  capture  is  given.  Lydia  Longley  was  taken  by  the 
Indians  on  July  27,  1694,  and  the  particulars  of  her  case  have 
already  been  told.  The  Tarbell  children  were  carried  off  on 
June  2O,  1707;  but  it  is  unknown  when  Matthias  Farnsworth 
was  captured,  and  this  entry  appears  to  be  the  only  record  of 
the  fact.  Sarah,  John,  and  Zechariah  were  children  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Wood)  Tarbell,  who,  with  a  large  family,  lived 
on  Farmers'  Row,  near  where  James  Lawrence's  house  now 
stands.  Sarah  was  a  girl  nearly  fourteen  years  of  age,  John 
a  lad  of  twelve  years,  and  Zechariah  only  seven,  at  the  time 
when  they  were  taken.  They  were  near  kindred  of  the 
Longley  family,  who  had  been  massacred  thirteen  years 
before.  The  father  was  unquestionably  the  Corporal  Tarbell 
who  commanded,  in  the  autumn  of  1711,  one  of  the  eighteen 
garrisons  in  the  town. 

The  story  of  their  capture  and  captivity  is  a  singular  one, 
and  sounds  like  a  romance.  They  were  picking  cherries  early 
one  evening,  —  so  tradition  relates,  —  and  were  taken  before 
they  had  time  to  get  down  from  the  tree.  It  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  date  of  capture,  according  to  the  new  style 
of  reckoning,  was  July  i,  when  cherries  would  be  ripe  enough 
to  tempt  the  appetite  of  climbing  youngsters.  These  children 
were  carried  to  Canada,  where,  it  would  seem,  they  were 
treated  kindly,  as  no  inducement  afterward  was  strong  enough 
to  make  them  return  permanently  to  their  old  home.  The 
girl,  Sarah,  was  sold  to  the  French,  and  placed  in  a  convent  at 
Lachine,  near  Montreal ;  but  what  became  of  her  subsequently 
I  am  unable  to  say. 


HO  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

Thomas  Tarbcll,  the  father  of  these  children,  made  his  will 
September  26,  1715,  which  was  admitted  to  probate  six  weeks 
later,  and  is  now  on  file  at  the  Middlesex  Probate  Office  in 
East  Cambridge.  After  making  certain  bequests  to  different 
members  of  his  family,  he  says :  — 

all  the  rest  &  residue  of  my  Reall  Estate  I  give  to  be  Equally  di- 
vided between  my  three  children,  John,  Zachary,  &  Sarah  Tarbell, 
upon  their  return  from  Captivity,  or  In  Proportion  unto  any  of  them 
that  shall  return,  &  the  rest,  or  the  parts  belonging  to  them  that  do  not 
return,  shall  be  Equally  divided  among  the  rest  of  my  children. 

During  my  visit  to  Montreal  in  the  summer  of  1877  I  saw, 
at  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  the  French  record,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  translation  :  — 

On  Monday,  July  23,  1708,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was  per- 
formed on  Sarah  Tarbell,  who  was  born  at  Groton  in  New  England, 
October  9,  1693.  Her  parents  were  Thomas  Tarbell  and  Elizabeth 
Wood,  both  Protestants,  and  she  was  baptized  by  the  minister  shortly 
after  her  birth.  Having  been  taken  by  the  savages  on  Monday,  June 
20,  1707,  she  was  brought  to  Canada;  she  has  since  been  sold,  and 
has  lived  with  the  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  estab- 
lished at  Lachine,  where  she  abjured  her  religion  on  May  i.  Her 
godfather  was  M.  Jacques  Urbain  Robert  de  Lamorandiere,  Secretary 
of  M.  1'Intendant ;  and  her  godmother  was  Madame  Marguerite  Bonat, 

r 

wife  of  M.  Etienne  Pascaud,  the  deputy  treasurer  of  the  King  in  this 
country. 

Her  name  Sarah  has  been  changed  to  Marguerite. 

[Signed]  MGTF-  BONAT. 

PASCAUD, 
LAMORAXDIERE, 
MERIEL,  PRETRE. 

The  boys  remained  for  many  years  with  their  captors  at 
Caughnawaga,  an  Indian  village  on  the  right  bank  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River,  directly  opposite  to  Lachine. 


QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR.  I  I  I 

It  is  supposed  that  they  left  this  place  about  the  year  1760, 
when  they  moved  up  the  river,  in  order  to  establish  another 
settlement. 

In  the  year  1713  John  Stoddard  and  John  Williams  were 
appointed  by  Governor  Joseph  Dudley,  to  go  to  Quebec  and 
treat  with  the  Governor-General  of  Canada  for  the  release 
of  the  New  England  prisoners.  They  were  accompanied 
by  Thomas  Tarbell, —  probably  the  elder  brother  of  the 
boys,  —  and  we  find  his  petition  presented  to  the  House  of 
Representatives,  June  I,  1715,  "praying  consideration  and 
allowance  for  his  Time  and  Expences  in  going  to  Canada, 
with  Major  Stoddard  &  Mr.  Williams,  Anno  1713,  to  re- 
cover the  Captives." 

The  petition  was  referred,  and,  on  the  next  day,  — 

Capt.  Noyes  from  the  Committee  for  Petitions,  made  Report  on 
the  Petition  of  Thomas  Tarboll,  viz.  That  they  are  of  Opinion  that 
nothing  is  due  from  the  Province  to  the  said  Tarboll,  since  he  pro- 
ceeded as  a  Volunteer  in  that  Service  to  Canada,  &  not  imployed  by 
the  Government,  but  recommended  him  to  the  favour  of  the  House. 

The  report  was  accepted,  and,  in  consideration  of  Tarbell's 
services,  he  was  allowed  ten  pounds  out  of  the  public  treasury. 
Captain  Stoddard's  Journal,  giving  an  account  of  the  nego- 
tiations, is  printed  in  "  The  New  England  Historical  and 
Genealogical  Register"  (v.  26),  for  January,  1851,  and 
Tarbell's  name  is  mentioned  in  it. 

We  find  no  further  trace  of  these  boys,  now  grown  up  to 
manhood,  during  the  twenty-five  years  following  this  attempt 
to  release  the  New  England  prisoners.  In  the  winter  of  1739 
John  and  Zechariah  Tarbell  came  back  to  Groton  in  order  to 
visit  their  kinsfolk  and  see  their  native  town.  They  were  so 
young  when  carried  away  that  their  recollections  of  the  place 
were  of  course  very  indistinct.  It  is  not  known  now  under 
what  circumstances  or  influences  they  returned.  An  itemized 
bill  of  the  expense  incurred  in  bringing  them  back  from 


112  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

Canada  was  made  out  against  their  brothers,  Thomas  and 
Samuel,  and  perhaps  paid  by  them.  Shortly  afterward  Thom- 
as Tarbell  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  means  to  enable 
him  to  meet  the  necessary  charges  of  the  journey,  besides 
the  expenses  of  an  interpreter ;  and  a  conditional  loan  was 
granted.  The  record  does  not  say  whether  it  was  ever  paid 
back  by  him.  The  papers  relating  to  the  subject  are  as 
follows :  — 

I)'      Mess"?  Thomas  6*  Samuel  Tharbell  to  William  Rogers  Junr     C' 

1733/9 

Janry  To  5o'!J  Biskett  £ —  10     3 

40  Ib  Pork  a  7 ''  1:34 

ii  Galls  Brandy  8     9 

8  blanketts  Stroucls    each    qs  2.V  I  , 

\  6   10 
Ells  a  6  6  p  Ell  ) 

To  Lodging  Victu!  &:  9  days  a  j-  each  i    16  o 

To  Horse  Hire  to  Kinderhook  &  expence  1 5  9 

To  Lodging  Victu1  &f  at  Westenhook  7  2 

To  horse  Hire  from  Westfield  to  Gro"  10 


N.  York  mony     £\2      \      3 
at  200  p  C  advance         24     2     6 

-D£l3<5 

To  Cash  paid  Expences  at  Glasco  )    ,. 

[Blandford]  N.  E.  M[oney].         )* 
To  d?  paid  d'.'  at  Westfield  10 

To  d?  paid  d°  and  Horse  Hire  at 

Springfield 
To  d.'  paid  d'.'  at  Lambs  between  ~\ 

Springfield       and       Kingstown  V  66 

[Palmer]  j 

To  d.'  at  Mr  Ashleys  i  7     2 

To  d?  paid  at  Howards  &  Richerdsons  i  2 

To  d:1  paid  at  Mr  Huberds  14     6 

To  d"  paid  at  Boston  &"  ~\_£}  5 


[Amount  carried  forward,  ^44    M     9] 


QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR.  113 

[Amottnt  brought  forward,                               ^44   *4     9] 
To  my  Trouble  for  bringing  your  ~\ 
Brothers  from  Canada  to  Albany  I 
&  here,     from  ye   io'.h  feb7  to  [ 
April  27'!'  is  77  days  at  2O/  

j£i2i    M     9 
10—11-7 

1739     Boston  April  ig'I1  Errors  Excepted 

p  WILLIAM  ROGERS  Jun' 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XV.  A  15,  16.] 

\  To  His  Excellency  Jonathan  Belcher  Esq  Gov 
Province  of  the       f        ^,7  .   ,  „-,,      TT     ,,   ,,          -,,,••      Tr  j-    n   . 

>      Chief  The  fforr  Council!  6*  House  of  Rep'"' 
Massachusetts  Bay    I         .       J 

J      in  Generall  Court  Assembled  Apr  ill  23''  1739 
The  Petition  of  Thomas  Tarbell  of  Groton  Elder  Brother  To  his 
Two  Unfortunate  Brothers  Taken  into  Captivity  in  the  former  Wars 
humbly  Sheweth 

That  he  does  with  utmost  thankfullness  acknowledge  The  Great 
favour  of  this  Court  Expressed  towards  his  said  Brothers  and  for  y" 
Great  encouragement  you  have  been  pleased  to  give  In  order  to  Excite 
them  to  come  over  &  settle  amongst  us 

But  in  as  much  as  the  Charges  of  their  coming  down  and  ye  Inter- 
preter who  attended  them  amounts  To  one  hundred  6*  Twenty  one 
pound  14  9  [The  italicised  words  in  the  petition  are  erased,  and 
"  fourty  pound  new  tennor  Bill  "  interlined.]  which  your  petitioner 
must  Pay  &  not  being  in  a  Capacity  to  Raise  so  much  mony  at  this 
time  he  most  humbly  prays  your  Excellency  &  Honrs  would  of  your 
Great  Goodness  be  pleased  to  make  him  a  Grant  of  so  much  or  to 
allow  him  to  receive  ye  same  out  of  the  Publick  Treasury  and  Grant 
him  such  time  for  Repaymt  thereof  again  as  to  your  Excellency  & 
Honrs  in  your  great  Goodness  shall  seem  meet,  your  petitioners  giving 
good  security  therefor  &  as  in  Duty  bound  shall  Ever  pray  &c 

THCT  TARBELL. 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XV.  A  17.] 

In  the  House  of  Reprfs  April  24"''  1739. 
Read  and  in  answer  to  this  petition 

Voted  that  Mr  Treasurer  ffoye  be  &  hereby  is  impowered  and 
directed  to  advance  to  the  petitioner  Thomas  Tarbell  the  sum  of 

8 


114  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

Thirty  Nine  pounds  Eleven  shillings  and  seven  pence  out  of  the 
publick  Treasury  provided  the  said  Tarbell  give  good  security  for  re- 
imbursing the  Treasury  the  said  sum  within  the  space  of  two  years  at 
the  farthest,  in  Case  his  two  Brothers  do  not  within  that  time  return 
with  their  ffamilics  &  dwell  among  us  in  this  Government 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence 

J.  Quixcv  Sp*r 

In  Council  April  24  1739     Read  and  Nonconcured. 

SIMON  FROST  Dep'  Secry 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XV.  A  17.] 

In  the  House  of  Representatives  April  21.  1739 

In  Consideration  of  that  Clause  in  His  Excellency's  speech  for 
inducing  some  English  Captives  lately  come  from  Canada  to  return 
hither  again  by  giving  them  some  proper  Encouragement  Ordered 
that  the  sum  of  Forty  pounds  new  tenor  bills  be  granted  &  allowed 
to  be  paid  out  of  the  publick  Treasury  to  Joseph  Kellogg  Esq'  and  by 
him  to  be  paid  and  disposed  of  to  &  for  the  use  of  the  two  Captives 
viz'  John  Tharbell  and  Zechariah  Tharbell  in  the  following  Manner 
viz1  Sixteen  pounds  thirteen  shillings  &  four  pence  part  thereof  to  be 
laid  out  at  their  discretion  as  a  present  to  their  wives  in  the  purchase 
of  such  things  as  they  are  desirous  of,  and  that  the  like  sum  of  sixteen 
pounds  thirteen  shillings  &  four  pence  be  given  to  be  at  their  own 
disposal!,  and  the  remainder  thereof  viz.  six  pounds  thirtteen  shillings 
&  four  pence  be  given  them  to  bear  their  charges  homewards 

and  further  the  assurance  of  this  Government  is  hereby  given  them 
that  if  they  shall  return  with  their  Families  to  live  among  us  they  shall 
be  put  &  kept  in  the  pay  of  the  province  as  Soldiers  at  Fort  Dummer 
during  Life  to  give  them  bread  for  their  Families  without  being  obliged 
to  the  duty  of  the  Garison  only  behaving  themselves  peaceably  and 
Orderly  among  us  ;  and  that  each  of  them  shall  have  a  right  in  some 
new  township,  or  two  hundred  acres  of  Land  a  piece  for  an  Inherit- 
ance to  them,  and  their  heirs,  where  it  shall  be  found  most  fit  and 
convenient  and  also  that  on  their  return  again  with  their  ffamilies  to 
dwell  here  as  aforesaid  this  Government  will  pay  to  their  Brethren 
namely  Thomas  &  Samuel  Tharbell  the  am"  of  Mr  William  Rogers  Junr 


QUEEN   ANNE'S   WAR.  115 

his  accompt  for  the  Charge  of  their  Journey  down  &  now  exhibited 
being  forty  pounds,  eleven  shillings  &  seven  pence 
Sent  up  for  Concurrence 

J.  QUINCY  Spkr 
In  Council  April  24.  i  739 
Read  and  Concurr'd 
25  :  Consented  to,  J  WILLARD  Secry 

J  BELCHER 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XV.  A  18,  19.] 

On  April  20  Governor  Belcher  brought  the  case  of  these 
captives  to  the  attention  of  the  Council  and  the  House  of 
Representatives ;  and  this  action  on  his  part  prompted  the 
petition  of  Thomas  Tarbell.  The  Governor  then  made  a 
speech,  in  which  he  said:  — 

There  are  lately  come  from  Canada  some  Persons  that  were  taken 
by  the  Indians  from  Groton  above  thirty  Years  ago,  who  (its  believed) 
may  be  induced  to  return  into  this  Province,  on  your  giving  them 
some  proper  Encouragement :  If  this  Matter  might  be  effected,  I 
should  think  it  would  be  not  only  an  Act  of  Compassion  in  order 
to  reclaim  them  from  the  Errors  and  Delusions  of  the  Romish 
Faith  ;  but  their  living  among  us  might,  in  Time  to  come,  be  of  great 
Advantage  to  the  Province. 

This  subject  was  referred  the  same  day  to  a  Committee 
consisting  of  John  Read,  of  Boston,  William  Fairfield,  of 
Wenham,  Thomas  Wells,  of  Deerfield,  Benjamin  Browne,  of 
Salem,  and  Job  Almy,  of  Tiverton.  On  the  next  day,  April 
21 — as  we  read  in  the  printed  Journal  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  —  the  chairman  of 

The  Committee  appointed  to  consider  that  Paragraph  in  His  Ex- 
cellency's SPEECH  relating  to  the  Encouragement  of  two  English 
Captives  from  Canada,  viz.  John  Tharbell  and  Zechariah  Tharbell, 
made  report  thereon,  which  he  read  in  his  Place,  and  then  delivered 
it  at  the  Table  ;  and  after  some  debate  thereon,  the  House  did  not 
accept  the  Report ;  and  having  considered  the  "same  Article  by  Article, 


Il6  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

the  House  came  into  a  Vote  thereon,  and  sent  the  same  up  to  the 
honourable  Board  for  Concurrence. 

On  the  23d,  we  find  — 

A  Petition  of  Thomas  Tharbell  of  Groton,  Elder  Brother  of  the 
t\vo  Mr.  Tharbclls  lately  returned  from  Captivity  in  Canada,  praying 
he  may  be  allowed  the  Loan  of  some  Money  to  enable  him  to  pay 
William  Rogers,  jun.  his  Account  of  Charges  in  bringing  his  Brethren 
to  Boston.  Read  and  Ordered,  That  the  Petition  be  considered  to 
morrow  morning. 

On  the  next  day,  — 

The  House  pass'd  a  Vote  on  the  Petition  of  Thomas  Tharbell  of 
Groton,  praying  as  entred  the  23d  current,  and  sent  the  same  up  to 
the  honourable  Board  for  Concurrence. 

All  these  efforts,  however,  to  reclaim  the  two  men  from 
savage  life  proved  unavailing;  for  it  is  known  that  they  re- 
mained with  the  Indians  and  became  naturalized,  if  I  may 
use  the  expression.  They  married  Indian  wives,  and  were 
afterward  made  chiefs  at  Caughnawaga  and  St.  Regis,  vil- 
lages in  Canada.  Their  descendants  are  still  living  among 
the  Indians,  and  the  Tarbells  of  the  present  day,  in  this  town, 
are  their  collateral  kindred.  Nearly  forty  years  after  their 
capture,  Governor  Hutchinson  met  them  in  New  York  State, 
and  in  his  "  History  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay '' 
refers  to  them  thus :  - 

I  saw  at  Albany  two  or  three  men,  in  the  year  i  744,  who  came 
in  with  the  Indians  to  trade,  and  who  had  been  taken  at  Groton  in 
this,  that  is  called  Queen  Ann's  war.  One  of  them  —  -  Tarbell, 
was  said  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  Cagnawaga  tribe.  He 
made  a  visit  in  his  Indian  dress  and  with  his  Indian  complexion  (for 
by  means  of  grease  and  paints  but  little  difference  could  be  discerned) 
to  his  relations  at  Groton,  but  had  no  inclination  to  remain  there. 
(II.  139-) 

This  is  another  account  from  "  The  Galaxy  "  magazine,  for 
January,  1870:  - 


QUEEN    ANNE'S   WAR.  II 7 

It  is  related  that,  about  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  while  a  couple  of 
boys  and  a  girl  were  playing  in  a  barn  at  Groton,  Massachusetts, 
some  Indians  suddenly  appeared,  seized  the  boys  and  fled,  carrying 
them  to  the  village  of  Caughnawaga,  nine  miles  above  Montreal, 
where  they  grew  up  with  the  Indian  habits,  manners,  and  language, 
being  finally  adopted  as  members  of  the  tribe  ;  and  married  Indian 
brides  selected  from  the  daughters  of  the  principal  chiefs.  (IX.  124.) 

Some  years  after  this  time,  these  two  young  men  —  now  oc- 
cupying the  position  of  chiefs  —  moved  up  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  accompanied  by  several  others,  all  with  their  families, 
and  established  the  village  of  St.  Regis.  This  Indian  settle- 
ment is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, the  boundary  line  which  separates  the  State  of  New 
York  from  Canada  running  through  it.  From  its  peculiar 
position,  it  was  agreed,  during  the  last  war  with  England,  that 
the  Indians  should  remain  neutral,  but  the  compact  was 
often  broken.  In  the  summer  of  1852  the  tribe  numbered 
about  eleven  hundred  persons,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  not  one 
was  of  pure  Indian  origin. 

Many  interesting  facts  concerning  the  Tarbells  at  St.  Regis 
are  found  in  the  "  History  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin 
Counties,  New  York"  (Albany,  1853),  by  Dr.  Franklin  B. 
Hough.  A  part  of  the  village  comes  within  the  limits  of 
Franklin  County;  and  the  author  has  gathered  up  some 
of  the  stories  still  told  about  these  two  brothers  in  that 
neighborhood.  He  gives  the  following  accounts,  which  arc 
largely  traditional,  but  with  some  truth  at  the  bottom  :  — 

About  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago,  three  children  (a  girl  about 
twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  two  younger  brothers)  were  play- 
ing together  in  a  barn,  in  the  town  of  Groton,  Massachusetts,  and 
being  absent  from  the  house  longer  than  was  expected,  their  mother 
became  solicitous  about  them,  and  went  to  find  them.  The  girl  was 
lying  on  the  floor,  with  a  limb  broken,  and  the  boys  were  missing. 

She  related  that  seeing  some  Indians  coming,  she  fled  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  barn,  and  fell  by  accident  from  the  beams  above,  and  that 


Il8  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

they  had  seized  the  two  boys  and  carried  them  away.  The  stealthy 
manner  of  this  seizure,  and  the  time  that  had  elapsed,  forbade  pursuit 
with  any  hope  of  success,  and  the  distracted  parents  were  left  to  mourn 
the  loss  without  consolation  or  hope.  The  probable  motive  for  the 
seizure  of  these  children  was  the  expectation  that  a  bounty  would  be 
offered  for  their  ransom  ;  or  perhaps  they  might  be  exchanged  for 
French  prisoners. 

As  afterwards  appeared,  these  boys  were  taken  by  the  Caughnawaga 
Indians  to  their  village  near  Montreal,  where  they  were  adopted  as 
their  own  children,  growing  up  —  in  habits,  manners,  and  language  — 
as  Indians,  and  in  due  time  they  married  the  daughters  of  chiefs  of 
that  tribe.  The  names  of  these  chiefs  were  Sa-kon-en-tsi-ask  and 
Ata-wen-ta.  ' 

But  they  possessed  the  superiority  of  intellect  and  enterprise  which 
belonged  to  their  race  ;  and  this  led  to  a  series  of  petty  quarrels, 
growing  out  of  the  jealousy  of  the  young  Indians  of  their  age,  which 
disquieted  the  village,  and  by  the  party  spirit  which  it  engendered, 
became  a  source  of  irritation  and  trouble  in  the  settlement,  and  of 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  their  missionary,  who  labored  in  vain  to 
reconcile  the  difficulties  between  them. 

Failing  in  this,  he  advised  the  two  young  men  (one  of  whom  they 
had  named  Ka-re-ko-wa)  to  remove  with  their  families  to  a  place  by 
themselves,  where  they  might  enjoy  tranquillity,  and  be  beyond  the 
reach  of  annoyance  from  their  comrades. 

This  advice  they  adopted ;  and  taking  with  them  their  wives,  and 
followed  by  their  wives'  parents,  these  four  families  departed  in  a  bark 
canoe,  with  their  effects,  to  seek  in  a  new  country,  and  in  the  secluded 
recesses  of  the  forest,  a  home. 

They  coasted  along  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  at  length  arrived  at 
the  delightful  point  on  which  the  village  of  St.  Regis  now  stands,  where 
they  landed  and  took  possession. 

The  name  of  these  youths,  was  TARBELL,  and  their  descendants 
have  always  resided  at  St.  Regis,  and  some  of  them  have  been  dis- 
tinguished as  chiefs  and  headmen  of  the  tribe.  One  of  these  named 
Lesor  Tarbell,  and  a  son  of  his  name,  was  a  prominent  chief,  about 
fifty  years  since,  and  very  much  esteemed  by  the  whites  for  his 
prudence,  candor,  and  great  worth  of  character. 

The  name  of  Tarbell  is  said  to  be  very  common  in  Groton  to 
this  dav. 


QUEEN   ANNE'S    WAR.  119 

Another  traditional  version  of  the  account  differs  in  some  particulars 
from  that  just  related,  and  is  as  follows  : 

Three  lads  and  an  elder  sister  were  playing  together  in  a  field, 
when  they  were  suq)rised  by  a  small  party  of  Indians.  One  of  the 
boys  escaped,  but  the  rest  were  seized,  and  marched  that  day  about 
fourteen  miles  into  the  woods,  towards  Canada,  when  it  coming  on 
dark,  they  came  to  a  halt,  and  camped  for  the  night.  Thinking  their 
prisoner  secure,  the  Indians  were  less  watchful  than  usual,  and  finally 
all  fell  asleep. 

The  girl,  about  twelve  years  old,  kept  awake,  and  seeing  the  rest 
asleep,  her  first  thought  was  to  awaken  her  brothers,  and  attempt  to 
escape  ;  but  fearing  to  disturb  the  Indians,  should  she  attempt  this,  and 
thus  prevent  any  possibility  of  escape,  she  crept  carefully  out  from 
among  them,  and  struck  off  in  the  direction  of  her  home,  which  she 
at  length  reached  after  undergoing  great  hardship. 

One  of  the  lads  on  growing  up  went  off  to  the  northwest ;  the  other 
married,  and  subsequently,  with  his  wife  and  one  or  two  other  families, 
moved  off,  and  made  the  first  settlement  at  St.  Regis. 

From  the  abundance  of  partridges  which  the  thicket  afforded  they 
called  it  AK-WIS-SAS-NE,  "  where  the  partridge  drums,"  and  this  name  it 
still  retains. 

These  families  were  living  very  peaceably  together,  and  had  made 
small  clearings  for  cornfields,  when  they  were  joined  by  Father 
Anthony  Gordon,  a  Jesuit  from  Caughnawaga,  with  a  colony  of  these 
Indians,  in  1760. 

The  year  of  this  settlement  is  known  by  the  fact  that  they  were  met, 
near  Coteau  du  Lac,  by  Lord  Amherst,  who  was  descending  the  St. 
Lawrence,  to  complete  the  conquest  of  Canada.  Gordon  named  the 
place  ST.  REGIS.  (Pages  111-113.) 

In  former  years  the  St.  Regis  Indians  had  certain  rights  in 
a  land  reservation  in  the  State  of  New  York ;  and  more  than 
once  treaties  were  made  between  the  Governor  of  the  State 
and  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe,  among  whom  were  descendants  of 
these  Tarbell  boys.  A  treaty  was  signed  on  February  20, 
1818,  in  behalf  of  the  Indians,  by  Loran  Tarbell  and  Thomas 
Tarbell,  and  two  other  chiefs.  Another  treaty  was  signed  on 
September  23,  1825,  by  eleven  chiefs  and  trustees  of  the 


120  QUEEN    ANNE'S    WAR. 

tribe,  including  Peter  Tarbell,  Thomas  Tarbell,  Mitchel  Tar- 
bell,  Louis  Tarbell,  and  Battice  Tarbell.  Some  of  these 
names,  I  am  sure,  will  sound  familiar  to  the  older  inhabitants 
of  Groton.  It  is  very  likely  that  Battice  is  the  same  as  Sabat- 
tis,  an  Indian  name,  which  is  said  to  be  a  corruption  of  Saint 
Baptiste. 

Dr.  Hough  writes  about  one  of  the  earlier  members  of  the 
family  as  follows  :  — 

A  half  breed  Indian,  who  usually  was  known  as  PETER  THE  BIG 
SPEAK,  was  a  son  of  Lesor  Tarbell,  one  of  the  lads  who  had  been 
stolen  a\vay  from  Groton  by  the  Indians,  and  who  subsequently  be- 
came one-  of  the  first  settlers  who  preceded  the  founding  of  St. 
Regis. 

He  was  a  man  of  much  address  and  ability  as  a  speaker,  and  was 
selected  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the  tribe  on  the  more  important  occasions 
that  presented  themselves.  (Page  182.) 

The  statement  is  wrong,  however,  that  Lesor  was  the  name 
of  one  of  the  captured  boys.  It  is  perfectly  well  known  that 
their  names  were  John  and  Zechariah,  but  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  one  of  their  sons  was  named  Lesor.  If  this  was  the 
case,  it  was  intended,  doubtless,  for  Eleazer,  the  name  of  their 
youngest  brother,  who  was  less  than  two  months  old  when 
they  were  carried  off.  It  certainly  would  be  a  very  touching 
tribute  to  their  childish  recollections  if  they  had  remembered 
this  little  babe  at  home,  and  carried  him  in  their  thoughts  for 
so  many  years. 

In  the  year  1772  the  Reverend  Mr.  Ripley  and  Lieutenant 
Taylor  went  on  a  mission  to  Canada,  in  order  to  induce  some 
Indian  children  to  join  the  Charity  School  at  Hanover,  New 
Hampshire.  They  returned  September  21,  bringing  with 
them  eight  boys  from  Caughnawaga,  and  two  from  Lorette, 
a  village  near  Quebec.  Among  these  lads  was  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  Tarbell  captives.  An  account  of  this  visit  to 
Canada  is  given  in  the  appendix  to  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  A 
Continuation  of  the  Narrative  of  the  Indian  Charity  School," 


QUEEN   ANNE'S    WAR.  121 

by  Eleazer  Whcelock,  D.  D.,  and  published  in  the  year  1773. 
The  following  extract  is  taken  from  it :  — 

The  same  day  a  council  of  the  chiefs  of  that  tribe  [Caughnawaga] 
was  called  to  consider  of  the  proposal  of  sending  their  children  to  this 
school,  which  Mr.  Ripley  had  left  to  their  consideration,  in  which  they 
were  to  a  man  agreed  in  the  affirmative,  and  acknowledged  with  grati- 
tude the  benevolence  and  kindness  of  their  offer :  They  continued 
united  and  firm  to  the  last  in  that  determination  against  the  most  warm 
and  zealous  remonstrances  of  their  priest,  both  in  public  and  private  ; 
in  consequence  of  which  determination,  nine  of  their  boys  were  made 
ready  to  accompany  Mr.  Ripley  hither ;  three  of  which  were  children 
or  descendants  from  captives,  who  had  been  captivated  when  they 
were  young,  and  lived  with  them,  till  they  were  naturalized  and  married 
among  them.  One  was  a  descendant  from  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  who  was 
captivated  from  Deerfield  in  1 704,  but  the  boy  was  taken  sick  with  the 
measles,  and  thereby  his  coming  was  prevented  ;  but  may  be  expected 
in  the  spring.  Another  was  a  descendant  from  Mr.  Tarbull,  who  was 
captivated  from  Groton,  in  the  year  1700  [1707?],  who  is  now  a 
hearty  and  active  man,  and  the  eldest  chief,  and  chief  speaker  of  the 
tribe.  He  expressed  great  affection  to  his  relations  in  New-England, 
sent  his  love  to  them,  and  desired  they  might  be  informed  that  he  had 
a  grandson  at  this  school.  The  other  was  son  to  Mr.  Stacey,  who  was 
captivated  from  Ipswich,  and  is  a  good  interpreter  for  that  tribe. 
(Pages  39,  40.) 

Another  reference  to  the  same  subject  is  found  in  the 
first  volume  of  Farmer  &  Moore's  "  Collections,"  published 
at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  in  the  year  1822.  It  is  as 
follows :  — 

In  1772,  Rev.  SYLVANUS  RIPLEY  and  Lt.  JOSEPH  TAYLOR,  who  acted 
as  interpreter,  went  on  a  mission  to  the  Indian  tribes  in  Canada. 
They  returned  to  Hanover  on  the  2ist  of  September,  and  brought 
with  them  ten  children  from  those  tribes,  to  receive  an  education  in 
the  school  at  Dartmouth  College.  Two  of  these  children  were  taken 
by  the  Indians  in  former  wars,  while  they  were  young,  and  were 
brought  up  in  the  language  and  customs  of  the  natives.  One  of  them 
•was  a  grandson,  about  eight  years  old,  of  a  Mr.  Tarbell,  who  was 


122  QUEEN   AXNE'S    WAR. 

taken  from  Groton,  in  Massachusetts,  in  the  year  1704  [1707?],  when 
he  was  about  ten  years  old.  Mr.  Tarbell  was  then  in  vigorous  health 
and  the  oldest  chief  in  the  village.  He  expressed  much  joy  in  seeing 
Messrs.  Ripley  and  Taylor,  and  earnestly  encouraged  his  grandson  in 
leaving  his  Indian  relatives  to  receive  the  benefits  of  education. 
There  was  another  youth,  a  grandson  of  Mrs.  Eunice  Williams,  who 
was  taken  captive  with  her  father,  the  Rev.  John  Williams,  of  Deer- 
field,  Feb.  29,  1 704,  that  would  have  accompanied  them,  but  was 
prevented  by  indisposition.  (Pages  63,  64.) 

A  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Fovel  visited  St.  Regis  in 
the  year  1826,  and  induced  one  of  the  Tarbell  family,  whose 
Indian  name  was  Joseph  Torakaron,  to  accompany  him  to 
Europe.  Torakaron  was  to  travel  in  the  character  of  an 
Indian  chief,  and  Fovel  was  to  act  as  interpreter  and  agent. 
The  story  is  thus  told  by  Dr.  Hough,  in  his  History:  — 

In  1826,  a  young  Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Fovel,  who  had  been 
for  some  time  at  Montreal,  visited  St.  Regis,  and  induced  one  Joseph 
Torakaron,  (sometimes  known  by  his  English  name  of  Tarbell,)  to  con- 
sent to  accompany  him  to  Europe.  Torakaron  was  to  travel  in  the 
character  of  an  Indian  chief,  (which  office  he  then  held  at  St.  Regis,) 
and  his  companion  in  that  of  interpreter,  solicitor,  treasurer,  and 
agent.  The  motives  held  out  to  the  chief  were,  that  they  should  be 
able  to  obtain  donations  for  the  endowment  of  their  church,  and 
doubtless  large  sums  as  presents  to  themselves.  Having  made  all 
necessary  arrangements,  and  being  furnished  with  letters  from  St. 
Regis,  Montreal  and  Quebec,  certifying  the  standing  of  Torakaron  at 
home,  the  two  proceeded  by  way  of  New  York  and  Havre,  to  Paris. 
The  conductor  here  obtained  an  interview  with  Charles  X,  and  so 
favorable  an  impression  was  made  upon  the  mind  of  the  king,  that  he 
presented  them  with  three  fine  paintings,  and  a  large  sum  in  money, 
and  other  valuable  articles. 

Thence  they  proceeded  by  way  of  Marseilles,  to  Rome,  and 
obtained  an  interview  with  the  pope. 

During  a  conversation,  the  pope  asked  the  Indian  if  he  could 
converse  in  another  language  than  his  own,  and  finding  him  able  to 
use  the  English  and  French  to  some  degree,  he  invited  him  to  a 


QUEEN   ANNE'S    WAR.  123 

second  interview  alone.  The  result  was,  that  a  set  of  books  and  silver 
plate,  for  the  service  of  the  church,  a  rosary  of  jewels  and  gold,  worth 
it  is  said  $1400,  and  other  articles  of  value,  were  given  him.  They 
thence  returned  to  Marseilles,  where  they  spent  the  winter,  and  in 
1828  returned  by  way  of  Paris  and  Havre  to  New  York.  Here  the 
treasurer,  or  interpreter,  or  whatever  else  he  might  be  called,  evinced 
his  true  character  by  absconding  with  every  article  of  value,  except 
the  rosary  and  paintings,  leaving  Torakaron  without  means  even  to 
return  home.  He  was  enabled  to  do  so  through  the  charity  of  friends, 
and  the  paintings  were  soon  after  deposited  in  their  destined  place. 
Two  are  now  at  St.  Regis,  and  the  third  in  the  church  at  Caughna- 
waga.  Of  the  former,  those  who  visit  the  church  will  recognize  in  a 
painting  over  the  altar,  the  portrait  of  St.  Regis,  and  in  the  one  to  the 
left,  near  the  pulpit,  that  of  St.  Francois  Xavier.  (Page  166.) 

In  the  summer  of  1877  I  visited  St.  Regis,  where  I  met  a 
grandson  of  one  of  the  Tarbell  captives.  He  was  more  than 
eighty  years  old,  and  could  speak  only  Indian  ;  and  I  had 
to  talk  with  him  through  an  interpreter.  I  learned  that 
he  was  aware  that  his  grandfather  had  been  taken  when 
a  boy,  from  a  town  near  Boston,  and  that  he  had  kinsfolk 
still  living  there.  What  interested  me  exceedingly  was  the 
physical  resemblance  between  him  and  some  of  his  collateral 
relations,  who  lived  and  died  at  Squannacook  within  my 
recollection.  He  was  a  man  of  ordinary  size,  with  a  sunburnt 
face  and  gray  hair,  though  somewhat  bald.  There  was  but 
little  appearance  of  Indian  blood  in  his  veins,  and  he  would 
have  passed  anywhere  for  a  good-looking  old  man.  He  lived 
with  one  of  his  sons  in  a  small  house  that  was  clapboarded 
and  painted,  —  and  one  of  the  best  in  the  village,  —  where, 
surrounded  by  his  grandchildren,  he  was  passing  the  declining 
years  of  his  life  in  comfortable  ease. 

I  was  also  interested  to  learn  from  the  Reverend  Francis 
Marcoux,  the  parish  priest,  that  the  Tarbells  were  among  the 
most  prominent  families  of  the  settlement,  where  there  are, 
perhaps,  forty  persons  who  bear  the  name.  They  keep  up, 


124  QUEEN   ANNE'S    WAR. 

in  a  great  measure,  the  same  given  names  that  are  common 
among  their  kindred  in  this  neighborhood.  The  inhabitants 
of  St.  Regis,  for  the  most  part,  retain  the  English  names  of 
their  fathers,  and  besides,  have  Indian  ones. 

In  tracing  the  career  of  these  boys  and  their  descendants 
down  nearly  to  the  present  time,  the  account  sounds  more 
like  fiction  than  the  sober  truth  of  history.  The  trail  of  their 
adventures  is  covered  up  with  so  many  improbabilities  that 
the  mere  narration  of  them  excites  marvel  and  wonder. 

During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Louis  Tarble,  a  son  of 
Thomas,  of  St.  Regis,  who  was  descended  from  one  of  the 
captives,  served  two  years  in  the  Thirty-fourth  New  York 
Volunteers,  and  subsequently  in  the  Eleventh  United  States 
Infantry.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  died  at 
Norway,  Herkimer  County,  New  York. 

During  the  present  summer  of  1883  Mr.  Lawrence,  the 
owner  of  the  Tarbell  farm,  proposes  to  place  in  the  wall  by 
the  wayside  a  stone  bearing  this  inscription :  — 

NEAR    THIS    SPOT 
THREE      CHILDREN 

SARAH,   JOHN,    AND   ZECHARIAH    TARBELL 

WERE   CAPTURED    15Y   THE    INDIANS, 

JUNE  20,  1707. 

THEY    WERE    TAKEN    TO    CANADA    WHERE 
THE     SISTER     WAS      PLACED      IN      A      CONVENT. 

THE    BROTHERS    BECAME    CHIEFS    OF    THE 

COUGHNAWAGA     TRIBE  ,       AND      WERE      AMONG 

THE      FOUNDERS      OF      ST.       REGIS      WHERE 

THEY    HAVE    DESCENDANTS    NOW    LIVING. 

l883. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


BUMMER'S    WAR. 


DURING  the  summer  of  1723  "the  Indian  enemy"  —as 
the  early  settlers  were  wont  to  call  them  —  still  threatened 
the  western  frontier  towns.  On  August  16,  1723,  according 
to  the  printed  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
Lieutenant-Governor  Dummer,  at  that  time  the  acting  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Province,  was  desired  immediately  to  order 
detachments  of  men,  varying  from  three  to  six,  from  the 
inhabitants  of  the  several  towns  along  the  line  of  outer  set- 
tlements, to  be  constantly  employed  in  scouting  and  ranging 
the  woods  in  their  respective  towns ;  and  under  this  order 
Groton  was  to  have  six.  On  August  24  it  was  ordered  by 
the  House  of  Representatives,  that  these  scouts  should  be 
placed  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  military  officer  of  the 
several  towns,  and  such  officer  should  receive  five  shillings  a 
week  for  his  services.  Owing  to  informalities  in  the  matter, 
a  dispute  arose  between  the  House  and  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  who  within  two  days  sent  two  messages  to  that 
body,  and  some  slight  modifications  were  made  in  the  original 
draft.  Lieutenant  Jabez  Fairbanks,  of  Lancaster,  commanded 
the  company  which  included  the  Groton  men.  The  follow- 


126 


BUMMER'S   WAR. 


ing  document  gives  a  list  of  his  men  at  the  beginning  of  the 
winter :  — 

LANCASTER  December  ye   2th  1723 

May  it  plese  your  Honer  I  have  in  observance  of  your  Honrs  order 
Inlisted  fifteen  able  bodyed  men  fit  for  service  &  haue  sent  the  List  of 
them  herewith  to  your  Honr  with  ye  List  of  those  that  ware  in  ye  ser- 
vice before  and  haue  put  them  on  duity :  we  haue  made  no  decovery 
of  ye  Inemy  as  yet :  the  barer  is  one  that  is  in  the  service  &  is  Capable 
if  your  Honr  Seas  Case  to  demand  :  to  give  a  full  account  of  our 
management  your  Humble 

Servant  JABEZ  FAIRBANKS 

[Superscribed] 

To  ye  Hon"  William  Dumer  Esq  Left  Govener  &  for  His  Majesties 
service,  by  Mr  Edward  Hartwell 

A  List  of  the  Names  of  ye  Soldiers  first  enlisted  in  Lancaster 
Groaton  &  Dunstable 


Edward  Hartwill 
Aaron  Willard 
Benjamin  Osgood 
Benjamin  Houghton  junr 
John  Bennit 
Samuell  Sawyer 
Jonathan  Shipley 
Joseph  Blood 
James  Shattuck 

The  names  of  those  last  in  Listed 

Joseph  Blanchard 

Ephraim  Wheeler 

David  Osgood 

Joseph  Wheelock 

Ezra  Sawyer 

Benjamin  Harris 

Phinehas  Parker 

David  Satell 
LANCASTER  December  the  2th  1723 


Samuell  Scripter 
John  Stephens 
William  Larrance 
Jabaz  Davice 
Thomas  Chamberlin 
Ephraim  Chandler 
Benjamin  Nicholes 
John  Barrit 


Isaac  Woods 
Jacob  Lakin 
Thomas  Lund 
Isaac  Fanvell 
Ebenezer  Cumins 
John  Usher 
Jonathan  Combs 


JABEZ  FAIRBANKS 


[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXII.  144,  145.] 


DUMMER'S   WAR.  127 


On  December  7,  1723,  the  House  of  Representatives  passed 
the  account  of  Colonel  Joseph  Buckminster,  for  going  and 
sending  expresses,  on  public  business,  between  Boston  and 
Groton  and  other  towns ;  and  fifty-five  shillings  were  allowed 
for  the  service.  On  the  same  day  the  sum  of  ^94  los.  was 
allowed  for  paying  the  company  under  the  command  of  Ser- 
geant Edward  Hartwell,  made  up  of  scouts  at  Groton,  Shrews- 
bury, and  Lancaster,  and  the  further  sum  of  £40  $s.  gd.  for  the 
subsistence  of  the  men  ;  and  the  money  was  to  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Benjamin  Prescott,  of  Groton,  for  his  disbursement. 
This  company  of  scouts  was  the  one  raised  by  Lieutenant 
Fairbanks.  On  December  10,  a  petition  was  presented  from 
Jonathan  Hubbard,  of  Groton,  praying  that  he  might  be  paid 
£&  4-r.  for  entertaining  Samuel  Barnard,  a  trooper  belonging 
to  Captain  Bowman's  company,  who  was  taken  sick  at  his 
house,  while  in  the  public  service ;  and  the  committee,  to 
whom  the  matter  was  referred,  made  a  report  recommending 
its  payment. 

The  military  company  at  this  post,  during  the  campaigns  of 
1723  and  1724,  was  composed  of  soldiers  principally  from 
Groton,  Lancaster,  and  Dunstable,  and  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Fairbanks.  Some  of  them  were  detailed  as 
guards  to  protect  the  more  exposed  garrisons,  and  others 
were  scouting  in  the  neighborhood.  They  were  so  scattered 
that  the  commanding  officer  found  it  difficult  to  drill  them 
as  a  company.  Fortunately,  however,  they  were  not  engaged 
in  much  fighting,  though  the  enemy  had  been  lurking  about 
and  threatening  the  town. 

The  following  Groton  men  are  borne  on  the  rolls  of 
Lieutenant  Fairbanks's  company,  June  18,  1724,  and  repre- 
sent some  of  the  most  influential  families  at  that  time.  The 
period  of  their  service  is  given,  with  the  amount  of  their 
pay:  — 


128  UUMMER'S    WAR. 


£ 

s. 

d. 

Phinias  Parker,  Serj! 

Nov. 

25  to  Jan.  12 

4 

13 

4 

Jon?  Shipley,  Sent!1 

„ 

IO               ,,       „ 

4 

1  1 

5 

Jos  Blood 

„ 

June  13 

15 

IO 

Jas  Shaduck 

„ 

»           T>     » 

15 

IO 

Samuel  Screpter 

„ 

»           »     „ 

15 

IO 

W"  Lawrance 

„ 

»           „     „ 

15 

10 

Josiah  Bauden 

Jan. 

13          »     „ 

IO 

18 

6 

Jacob  Ames 

Nov. 

25              v       „ 

M 

8 

6 

Isaac  Woods 

,, 

,,             ,,      ,, 

M 

8 

6 

Jason  Williams 

„ 

„           »     J. 

M 

8 

6 

Nath1  Lawrance 

„ 

,,            ,,     „ 

M 

8 

6 

Jon'1  Shepley,  Serj! 

Jan. 

3          >'     " 

M 

1  1 

6 

Thos  Chamberlin 

Nov. 

29          »     „ 

M 

2 

IO 

Mich1  Gillson 

April 

28          „     „ 

3 

7 

i 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XCI. 

124.] 

The  following  letters  from  the  commanding  officer,  to 
Lieutenant-Governor  William  Dummer,  show  how  these 
scouts  were  employed  during  a  part  of  their  service :  - 

GROTON  May  28th  1724. 
May  it  please  your  Honour 

I  have  Posted  the  men  Committed  to  my  care  at  the  Towns  of 
Lancaster  Groton  Dunstable  &  Turkey  Hill  [Lunenburg]  according 
to  your  Honours  Orders  ;  and  Improve  them  in  the  best  manner  I 
can  for  the  protection  of  the  People  &  Discovery  of  the  enemy  and 
I  think  to  General  Satisfaction  I  have  ordered  one  man  to  Mr 
[Benjamin]  Prescotts  Garrison  During  his  attendance  on  the  Court. 
I  beg  leave  further  to  acquaint  your  Honour  that  y '  people  in  these 
Towns  apprehend  themselves  in  Great  Danger,  and  cannot  (in  my 
humble  opinion)  be  in  any  measure  safe  with  so  small  a  number  of 
men. 

I  am  your  Honours  Humble 

&  most  obedient  Serv' 

JABEZ  FAIRBANKS 

(Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXII.  176.] 


DUMMER'S   WAR.  129 


LANCASTER,  July  if  1724. 
May  it  please  your  Honour. 

I  recieved  your  Letter  the  Last  night  in  the  evening,  and  not  before 
tho'  I  suppose  I  might  have  had  it  sooner  had  the  bearer  pleased, 
Your  Honour  is  pleased  in  your  Letter  to  give  me  my  choice  of 
A  Lieutenants  Post  in  Groton  or  Turkey  Hills  or  A  Serjeants  at 
Lancaster.  I  am  sensible  that  Serjeants  Pay  in  Town  would  be  as 
Profitable  as  to  keep  constantly  abroad,  but  yet  upon  Some  Consid- 
erations I  choose  to  Abide  in  the  Post  I  am,  and  to  go  to  Groton. 
I  return  my  thanks  to  your  Honour  for  the  choice  you  have  given 
me.  I  would  Inform  your  Honour  that  on  Monday  Last  I  sent  A 
Scout  to  Rutland  who  Returned  yesterday  and  gave  me  an  Account 
that  In  the  way  they  discovered  the  tracks  of  four  or  five  Indians 
bearing  towards  Wochoosett  who  they  Judged  had  been  gone  2  or  3 
days.  Yesterday  Part  of  Groton  men  &  Part  of  this  Town  went  out 
for  the  week  to  range  above  the  Towns  to  see  what  Discovery  they 
could  make,  and  I  am  my  self  this  Day  going  out  with  what  men  I 
can  Raise  to  see  what  I  can  discover.  I  desire  the  favour  of  your 
Honour,  That  the  souldiers  now  under  my  Command  in  Lancaster 
and  Groton  might  have  the  Liberty  of  abiding  with  me  or  of  being 
Dismist.  If  it  be  your  Honours  Pleasure  to  let  Edward  Hartwell  who 
hath  been  a  Serjeant  under  me  Abide  still  in  that  Post  in  this  Town  I 
should  take  it  as  a  favour.  I  stand  ready  to  attend  your  Honours 
Orders  &  Command  and  am  Si 

Your  Humble  Sen-ant 

JABKZ  FAIRBANK. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LIT.  9  ] 

GROTON  July  2oth  1724. 
May  it  please  your  Honour 

I  have  attended  your  orders  in  posting  the  men  at  the  Towns  of 
Groton  Lancaster  &  Turkey  hill  —  precisely  except  at  Turkey  Hill 
there  is  but  eleven  men  Cap'  Stevens  having  not  as  yet  sent  so  many 
as  ordered  &  I  have  Taken  my  post  at  Groton  where  I  Improve  the 
Souldiers  in  the  best  manner  I  can  agreeable  to  your  orders,  &  have 
ordered  them  to  Lodge  in  some  of  y°  most  Exposed  Garrisons  as  often 
as  may  be,  but  I  find  it  impossible  to  Improve  So  Small  a  number  of 
men  So  as  to  answer  y?  Necessities  of  the  people  here,  whose  circum- 

9 


130  DUMMER'S    WAR. 


stances  are  So  verry  Difficult  and  Distressing  that  I  am  not  able  fully 
to  Represent  to  your  Honour. 

the  poor  people  are  many  of  them  obliged  to  keep  their  own  Gar- 
risons and  part  of  them  Imployed  as  Guards  while  others  are  at  their 
Labour  whose  whole  Time  would  be  full  Little  enough  to  be  expended 
in  getting  bread  for  their  families.  My  own  Garrison  at  Lancaster  is 
very  much  exposed  &  with  Humble  Submission  I  think  Requires  Pro- 
tection as  much  as  any  in  that  Town,  therefore  I  Humbly  pray  your 
Honour  would  be  pleased  to  give  me  Leave  to  post  a  Souldier 
there  Dureing  my  absence  in  the  service  of  the  province  I  beg  your 
Honours  Pardon  for  giving  you  this  Trouble  ;  and  as[k]  Leave  to 
Subscribe  my  Selfe 

Your  most  Obedient  Humble  Serv1 

JABEZ  FAIRBANKS 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LII.  17.] 

For  some  Journals,  kept  in  this  neighborhood  by  Lieu- 
tenant Fairbanks  during  the  years  1723  and  1724,  see  Massa- 
chusetts Archives,  XXXVIII.  A  49-54,  56-65. 

Colonel  Tyng  writes,  July  23,  1724,  from  Dunstable,  to 
Lieutenant-Governor  William  Dummer,  that  he  has  sent  ten 
men  of  his  company  to  Groton,  agreeably  to  orders,  and  that 
he  is  going  himself  "to  dispose  the  10  men  there."  (Archives, 

LII.  22.) 

In  the  printed  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
May  28,  1725,  is  found  the  petition  of  Dr.  Blasdell,  asking 
that  an  allowance  be  made  for  his  professional  services  during 
this  campaign.  It  is  as  follows :  — 

A  Petition  of  Henry  Blasdell  of  Groton,  shewing  that  by  Virtue  of 
a  Warrant  from  Col.  Goffe  he  served  as  Surgeon  to  the  Western 
Forces  from  the  loth  of  September  to  the  6th  of  December  past,  being 
twelve  Weeks  and  three  Days,  for  which  Service  and  the  Medicines 
he  administered  to  the  Forces  in  the  Service  of  the  Province,  he 
thinks  he  deserves  Twenty  six  Pounds  Fourteen  Shillings  for  the 
Reasons  mentioned  in  the  Petition,  and  praying  that  the  same  may  be 
allowed  him  out  of  the  publick  Treasury. 

It  is  recorded  in  the  same  Journal,  June  1 1,  1725  :  - 


DUMMER'S   WAR.  131 


On  the  Petition  of  Henry  Blasdell  of  Groton,  a  Surgeon  Impressed 
into  the  Service  by  Col.  Edmund  Goffe,  praying  as  entred  the  28///  of 
May  last,  which  was  read  and  Accepted,  and  Resolved,  That  the  Sum 
of  Seventeen  Pounds,  Nine  Shillings  be  allowed  and  paid  out  of  the 
publick  Treasury  to  Dr.  Henry  Blasdell  for  his  Wages,  Druggs 
and  Medicines  in  the  Service  of  the  Province  as  mentioned  in  the 
Petition. 

Penhallow,  in  "  The  History  of  the  Wars  of  New-England," 
speaking  of  the  Indians  at  this  period,  says :  - 

The  next  damage  they  did  was  at  Groton,  but  were  so  closely 
pursued,  that  they  left  several  of  their  Packs  behind.  (Page  102.; 

It  was  on  Thursday,  July  9,  1724,  that  John  Ames  was 
shot  by  an  Indian,  one  of  a  small  party  that  attacked 
his  garrison  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  the  town.  Ames 
lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  Nashua  River,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  Hollingsworth  paper-mills.  He  is  said  to 
be  the  last  person  killed  by  an  Indian  within  the  township. 
The  Indian  himself  was  immediately  afterward  shot  by  Jacob 
Ames,  one  of  John's  sons.  "The  Boston  Gazette,"  July  13, 
1 724,  thus  refers  to  the  event :  — 

A  Man  was  kill'd  last  Week  at  Groton,  by  the  Indians,  and  't  is 
suppos'd  one  Indian  was  kill'd  by  one  of  our  Men  in  the  Garrison ; 
the  Indians  left  their  Packs,  5  in  number,  which  were  taken  and 
secur'd  by  the  English. 

In  the  Gazette  of  July  27,  it  is  said  that  "  An  Indian  Scalp 
was  brought  to  Town  last  Week  from  Groton." 

"  The  New  England  Courant,"  July  13,  1/24,  reports  that 
"  Last  Week  the  Indians  kill'd  a  Man  at  Groton,  and  had 
one  of  their  own  Men  very  much  wounded."  The  same  news- 
paper, in  its  issue  of  July  27,  says  that  "  The  Scalp  of  an 
Indian  lately  kill'd  at  Groton  is  brought  to  Town." 

"  The  Boston  News  Letter,"  July  16,  1724,  gives  the  follow- 
ing version :  — 


DUMMER'S    WAR. 


From  Groton  \ve  are  inform'd,  That  5  Indians  came  into  that  Place, 
and  kill'd  one  Man,  upon  which  one  of  our  Men  shot  out  of  the  Gar- 
rison and  kill'd  an  Indian  and  got  his  Scalp  in  order  to  bring  to  Town, 
and  have  likewise  taken  the  Indian  Packs. 

The  same  paper,  of  July  30,  says  that  "  An  Indian  Scalp 
from  Groton  \vas  brought  in  here  last  Week." 

These  accounts,  taken  in  connection  with  Jacob  Ames's 
petition,  found  in  the  printed  Journal  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  for  November  20,  1724,  and  herewith  given, 
show  conclusively  that  they  relate  to  the  assault  in  which  John 
Ames  was  killed.  It  is  equally  certain  that  Penhallow,  in  his 
History,  refers  to  the  same  attack  when  he  speaks  of  the 
damage  done  at  Groton  in  the  summer  of  1724. 

A  Petition  of  Jacob  Ames,  shewing  that  he  was  one  of  the  Weekly 
Scouts  near  the  Garrisons  on  the  Westerly  part  of  the  Town  of  Groton ; 
and  on  the  Ninth  Day  of  July  last,  when  it  was  the  Petitioners  Week 
to  be  on  Duty,  a  Number  of  Indians  appeared  at  the  Garrison  of  the 
Petitioners  Father  John  Ames,  and  killed  him  at  the  Gate,  and  then 
rush'd  violently  into  the  Garrison  to  surprise  the  People  there.  And 
the  Petitioner  did  with  Courage  and  Resolution  by  himself  defend  the 
Garrison,  and  beat  off  the  Indians,  Slew  one  of  them  and  Scalp'd  him  ; 
praying,  That  altho'  it  happened  to  be  his  Week  to  be  on  Duty,  that 
this  Court  would  take  the  Premises  into  their  wise  and  serious  Consid- 
eration, and  grant  what  other  Allowance  more  than  the  Establishment 
by  Law,  shall  to  them  seem  meet,  for  his  aforesaid  Sen-ice.  Read, 
and  in  Answer  to  this  Petition.  Resolved,  That  over  and  above  the 
Fifteen  Pounds  due  to  the  Petitioner  by  Law,  for  recovering  the  said 
Scalp,  and  the  good  Services  done  this  Province  thereby,  the  Sum  of 
Fifteen  Pounds  be  allowed  and  Paid  out  of  the  Publick  Treasury  to 
the  said  Jacob  Ames  for  his  good  Service  as  aforesaid. 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence. 

Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History,  gives  the  following  version  of 
this  affair,  which  was  gathered  largely  from  grandchildren 
of  the  Ezra  Farnsworth  mentioned  in  it.  The  account  was 
taken  down  in  writing  more  than  a  hundred  years  after  the 


BUMMER'S   WAR.  133 


occurrence  of  the  event,  which  will  explain  any  inaccuracies 
due  to  tradition.  Mr.  Butler  refers  the  assault  to  a  period 
much  later  than  the  actual  fact:  — 

An  Indian  had  been  seen,  for  several  days,  lurking  about  the  to\vn, 
it  was  conjectured,  upon  some  ill  design.  Mr.  -Ames,  who  lived  on 
the  intervale,  on  the  west  side  of  Nashua  river,  now  owned  by  John 
Boynton,  Esq.,  went  into  his  pasture  to  catch  his  horse.  Discovering 
the  Indian,  he  ran  for  his  house ;  the  Indian  pursued  and  shot  him 
as  he  entered  his  gate.  The  dead  body  prevented  the  gate's  closing, 
as  it  would  otherwise  have  done  of  itself,  and  the  Indian  pressed  in 
to  enter  the  house,  where  Ames  had  a  son  and  daughter.  The  son 
seized  his  gun,  and  shot  at  him,  as  he  entered  the  gate.  The  ball, 
striking  the  latch  of  the  door,  split,  and  one  part  of  it  wounded  the 
Indian,  but  not  severely.  As  the  son  attempted  to  close  the  door 
against  the  enemy,  after  the  shot,  the  Indian  thrust  his  foot  in,  and 
prevented.  The  son  called  to  his  sister  to  bring  his  father's  gun 
from  the  bedside,  and  at  the  same  time  striking  the  Indian's  foot 
with  the  breach  of  his  gun,  compelled  him  to  withdraw  it,  and  closed 
the  door.  While  the  Indian  was  in  the  act  of  reloading  his  gun,  the 
young  man  found  means  to  shoot  through  a  crevice  and  killed  him. 
Two  men,  at  work  about  a  mile  distant  in  a  mill,  Ezra  and  Benjamin 
Farnsworth,  hearing  the  reports  of  the  guns,  and  suspecting  the  cause 
thereof,  were  soon  at  the  place,  aud  found  the  bodies  of  Ames  and 
the  Indian  both  weltering  in  their  blood.  This  is  the  last  man  killed 
by  an  Indian  within  the  bounds  of  Groton.  (Pages  no,  in.) 

Mr.  Butler  says,  in  his  History  (page  100),  that  "  in  the 
summer  of  1723,  one  man  was  killed  at  Groton."  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  this  allusion  is  to  John  Ames,  as  I  can 
find  no  other  authority  for  the  statement. 

Governor  Saltonstall,  of  Connecticut,  writes  from  New 
London,  under  date  of  July  23,  1724,  that  the  friendly 
Indians  of  that  neighborhood  seem  inclined  to  hunt  for 
scalps  around  Monadnock  and  the  farther  side  of  Dunstable 
and  Groton.  (Archives,  LII.  23.)  This  was  owing  to  an 
offer  made  about  this  time  by  the  governments  of  Massachu- 
setts and  New  Hampshire,  of  a  bounty  of  a  hundred  pounds 


134  DUMMER'S    WAR. 


for  every  Indian's  scalp  that  should  be  taken  and  shown  to 
the  proper  authorities.  This  expedient  stimulated  volunteers 
to  scour  the  \vilderness  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  Indians; 
and  Captain  John  Lovewell,  of  Dunstable,  organized  a  com- 
pany, which  soon  became  famous. 

The  story  of  Lovewell's  Fight  was  for  a  long  time  repeat- 
edly told  in  this  neighborhood,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  person 
who  has  not  from  early  infancy  heard  the  particulars  of 
that  eventful  conflict.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1725  that 
Captain  Lovewell,  with  thirty-four  men,  fought  a  famous 
Indian  chief,  named  Paugus,  at  the  head  of  about  eighty 
savages,  near  the  shores  of  a  pond  in  Pequawket,  now  within 
the  limits  of  Fryeburg,  Maine,  and  known  as  Lovewell's 
Pond.  Of  this  little  Spartan  band,  seven  belonged  in 
this  town;  and  one  of  them,  John  Chamberlain  by  name, 
distinguished  himself  by  killing  the  Indian  leader. 

The  fullest  account  of  the  Fight  is  found  in  a  pamphlet 
entitled,  "  Lovewell  Lamented,  or,  a  SERMON  occasion'd  by 
the  Fall  of  the  Brave  Capt.  John  Lovewell  and  Several  of  his 
Valiant  COMPANY,  in  the  late  Heroic  Action  at  Piggwacket 
pronounc'd  at  Bradford,  May  16  1725  By  Thomas  Synnnes, 
V.D.M."  (Boston,  1725.)  The  sermon  contains  an  historical 
preface,  duly  attested  by  three  of  the  company,  which  gives 
many  particulars  of  this  ill-fated  expedition.  It  includes  a 
list  of  the  men  who  took  part  in  the  fight,  with  the  names  of 
the  killed  and  wounded.  According  to  this  list,  the  following 
Groton  men  were  members  of  Lovewell's  company,  and  present 
during  the  action  :  John  Jefts,  Daniel  Woods,  Thomas  Woods, 
John  Chamberlain,  Elias  Barren,  John  Gilson  [Isaac  Lakin?], 
Joseph  Gilson;  of  whom  Thomas  Woods,  Daniel  Woods, 
and  John  Jefts  were  killed  in  the  Fight,  and  Elias  Barren, 
John  Chamberlain,  and  John  Gilson  [Isaac  Lakin?],  wounded. 
It  is  stated  by  Mr.  Symmes,  in  his  preface,  that  Barron  sub- 
sequently "  strayed  from  the  rest,  and  got  over  Ossipy  River, 
by  the  side  of  which  his  Gun  Case  was  found,  &  he  has  ner 


DUMMER'S   WAR.  135 


been  heard  of  since."  (Page  viii.)  Joseph  Gilson  was  the 
only  one  of  this  quota  who  escaped  injury. 

The  first  edition  of  the  sermon  was  published  on  July  i, 
and  exhausted  in  a  very  few  days.  A  second  edition  was 
issued  about  the  middle  of  July,  with  a  title-page  somewhat 
changed  from  the  original  one,  as  follows:  "Historical 
Memoirs  Of  the  Late  Fight  at  Piggwacket,  with  a  SERMON 
Occasional  by  the  Fall  of  the  Brave  Capt  John  Lovewell 
And  Several  of  his  Valiant  Company ;  in  the  late  Heroic 
Action  there.  Pronounc'd  at  Bradford,  May,  16.  1725  By 
THOMAS  SVMMES,  V.D.M.  £he  £eeond  Edition  Corrected." 
(Boston,  1725.)  In  this  edition  the  running  title  of  "An 
Historical  PREFACE  "  is  changed  to  "  Memoirs  of  the  Figlit 
at  Piggwacket."  A  few  corrections  are  made;  in  the  list 
both  of  the  soldiers  and  of  the  wounded,  the  name  of  Isaac 
Lakin  is  given  in  the  place  of  John  Gilson's. 

Captain  Lovewell,  the  commander  of  the  company,  was  a 
brave  officer  and  a  noted  man.  He  was  at  this  time  in  the 
prime  of  life,  and  ambitious  to  distinguish  himself.  He  had 
previously  led  two  successful  expeditions  against  the  Indians, 
and  his  very  name  inspired  confidence.  Only  a  few  weeks 
before,  his  second  expedition  had  returned  to  Dover,  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  made  a  triumphal  entry  at  the  head  of 
his  company.  They  bore  ten  Indian  scalps  stretched  on 
hoops,  and  were  received  with  great  joy  and  excitement; 
thence  they  proceeded  to  Boston,  where  they  were  paid  a 
large  bounty  by  the  government.  The  following  Groton 
men  were  members  of  the  company  which  went  on  this 
second  expedition :  Jacob  Ames,  Ephraim  Farnsworth, 
Reuben  Farnsworth,  Benjamin  Parker,  Samuel  Shattuck, 
Samuel  Tarbell,  and  Henry  Willard.  Throughout  New 
England,  Lovewell's  daring  was  made  the  subject  of  talk, 
and  the  public  looked  to  him  as  a  natural  leader  in  border 
warfare. 

It  was  "  about  the  \6th  of  April,  1725,"  says  Mr.   Symmes, 


136  DUMMER'S    WAR. 


in  the  preface  to  his  sermon,  "  that  the  Brave  LOVEWELL 
began  his  March  from  Dunstablc  to  Piggwacket,  with  Forty- 
Six  Men  under  his  Command." 

WHEN  they  'd  Travell'd  a  little  way,  Toby,  an  Indian  falling 
Lame,  was  oblig'd  to  return,  with  great  Reluctancy. 

WHEN  they  came  as  far  as  Contoocook,  one  Win.  Cummins  of 
Dunstable  was  so  disabl'cl  by  a  Wound  he  'd  Receiv'd  from  the 
Enemy  some  time  before,  that  the  Capt.  dismiss'd  him,  with  a  Kins- 
man of  his  to  accompany  him. 

THEN  they  Travell'd  as  far  as  Ossipy,  and  there  one  Benjamin 
Kiddcr  of  Nutfield  [now  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire,]  falling 
Sick ;  the  Capt.  made  a  Halt,  and  tarried  while  they  built  a  small 
Fortification,  for  a  place  of  Refuge  to  repair  too,  if  there  should  be 
Occasion.  Here  he  left  his  Doctor,  a  Serjent  and  Seven  other  Men, 
to  take  care  of  Kiddcr,  and  of  a  Considerable  Quantity  of  Provision, 
here  left  to  lighten  the  Men,  and  facilitate  their  March  ;  and  for  a 
Recruit  upon  their  Return. 

WITH  his  Company  now  reduc'd  to  Thirty-Four  Men  with  him- 
self, the  Capt.  Travell'd  to  Pigwacket,  which  is  about  Forty  Miles  from 
said  Fort. 

THEIR  names  that  made  up  this  Company  (excepting  his  that 
started  from  them  in  the  beginning  of  the  Battle,  and  ran  back  to  the 
Fort,  which  I  'd  be  excus'd  from  mentioning)  were  as  follow." 
(Pages  ii.  iii.) 

Here  Mr.  Symmes  gives  the  names  of  the  thirty-three  men 
who  were  in  the  famous  Fight,  purposely  omitting  the  one  that 
ran  away.  It  has  since  transpired  that  this  soldier,  who  so 
ingloriously  fled  from  the  battle-field,  was  Benjamin  Hassell, 
of  Dunstable,  a  corporal  in  the  company.  ("  History  of 
Manchester,  New  Hampshire,"  by  Chandler  Eastman  Potter, 
page  1 60.) 

With  the  small  force  now  at  his  command,  the  heroic 
captain  pressed  forward  to  meet  the  enemy,  and  in  a  few 
days  reached  the  borders  of  Saco  Pond,  since  known  as 
Lovewell's  Pond,  southeast  of  the  present  village  of  Frye- 


DUMMER'S    WAR.  137 


burg,  Maine.  On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  May  8,  while 
engaged  at  prayers  they  heard  a  gun,  and  shortly  afterward 
discovered  an  Indian  on  a  point  of  land  which  ran  into  the 
pond.  They  were  distrustful  of  an  ambush,  and  a  consulta- 
tion was  held  in  order  to  see  whether  they  should  advance  or 
retreat.  Their  decision  was  to  proceed  at  all  hazards.  They 
said :  "  We  came  out  to  meet  the  Enemy ;  we  have  all 
along  prayed  GOD  we  might  find  'em ;  and  we  had  rather 
trust  Providence  with  our  Lives,  yea  Dy  for  our  Country, 
than  try  to  Return  without  seeing  them,  if  we  may,  and  be 
called  Cowards  for  our  Pains."  After  this  answer,  Lovewell 
ordered  his  men  to  move  forward  cautiously ;  and  they  soon 
reached  a  place  where  they  halted  and  took  off  their  packs, 
and  piled  them  up  together.  Leaving  these  behind  without 
a  guard,  and  advancing  a  short  distance,  they  came  upon  the 
Indian  whom  they  had  previously  descried.  He  was  return- 
ing to  his  companions  with  some  game  that  he  had  killed. 
Several  guns  were  instantly  discharged  at  him,  when  he  in 
turn  fired  and  wrounded  Lovewell  himself  and  another  man  ; 
after  which  he  was  killed  and  scalped.  The  company  then 
turned  back,  and  with  their  wounded  leader  repaired  to  the 
place  where  they  had  left  their  packs.  In  the  mean  while 
Paugus,  the  far-famed  chief  of  the  Pequawkets,  at  the  head  of 
eighty  warriors  on  their  way  home  from  a  marauding  expe- 
dition, had  discovered  the  pile  of  packs,  and,  counting  them, 
had  learned  the  number  of  the  English.  Finding  that  the 
force  wras  much  less  than  his  own,  Paugus  placed  his  men  in 
ambush  and  awaited  the  return  of  Lovewell.  When  the 
company  came  up  for  their  packs,  the  Indians  with  hideous 
yells  rushed  forth  suddenly  from  their  hiding-places  and 
began  to  fire.  The  brave  captain  ordered  his  men  to  return 
it,  which  was  done  with  terrible  effect.  Lovewell  himself  fell 
at  the  first  shot,  and  eight  of  his  men  soon  shared  the  same 
fate.  Ensign  Wyman,  of  Woburn,  then  assumed  the  com- 
mand, and,  perceiving  that  the  Indians  were  trying  to  surround 


138  DUMMER'S    WAR. 


them,  ordered  a  retreat  to  the  pond,  where  he  took  his  stand. 
A  ledge  of  rock  projecting  into  the  water  on  one  side  of  him, 
and  a  deep  brook  on  the  other,  made  a  position  favorable  for 
defence.  The  fighting  continued,  and  during  the  day  the 
savages  vainly  endeavored  to  compel  the  valiant  band  to  sur- 
render;  but  they  would  not  listen  to  the  proposition.  Paugus 
was  slain  in  the  action  by  John  Chamberlain,  of  Groton. 
After  the  death  of  their  chief,  the  Indians  became  somewhat 
disheartened,  and  for  a  time  withdrew  from  the  skirmish. 
Later  in  the  day  the  combat  was  resumed,  —  when,  it  is  sup- 
posed, the  enemy  had  received  reinforcements,  —  but  with  no 
decisive  result.  As  night  approached,  they  again  withdrew, 
and  left  this  little  forlorn  band  masters  of  the  field.  About 
midnight  the  survivors,  with  the  exception  of  three  men 
mortally  wounded  and  unable  to  travel,  fell  back  and  directed 
their  course  to  the  fort,  where  they  expected  to  find  their 
former  companions  ;  but  in  this  they  were  sadly  disappointed. 
It  seems  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight,  a  member  of  the 

O  O  O 

company,  escaping,  made  his  way  to  the  fort,  and  reported 
that  Lovewcll  and  his  men  were  all  cut  to  pieces,  which  he 
may  have  believed.  This  was  the  man,  Hassell,  whose  name 
Mr.  Symmes  carefully  refrains  from  mentioning.  Disap- 
pointed, at  finding  the  fort  abandoned,  the  survivors  of  this 
memorable  command  made  their  way  back  to  the  settlements 
as  best  they  could,  coming  in  at  different  places  along  the 
frontier  line. 

The  name  of  Lovewell  at  once  became  famous,  and  the 
story  of  this  expedition  was  told  in  every  household,  and 
even  in  the  pulpit.  It  was  made  the  subject  of  ballads, 
which  were  sung  at  the  family  firesides,  and  excited  the 
popular  heart  with  the  memory  of  the  brave  and  adventurous 
leader.  Peace  aT^££  followed  the  action  at  Pequawket,  and 

^ 

deep  and  sincere  was  the  public  feeling  at  its  restoration. 

Judge  Potter,  in  his  "  History  of  Manchester,  New  Hamp- 
shire "  (page  160),  gives  the  names  of  the  nine  men  left  with 


BUMMER'S   WAR-  139 


Kidder  in  the  fort  at  Ossipee.  Among  them  is  that  of  John 
Gilson,  of  Groton,  who  is  mentioned  incorrectly  in  the  first 
edition  of  Symmes's  Sermon,  as  one  of  the  soldiers  taking 
part  in  the  Fight.  T/his  shows  that  he  belonged  to  the  origi- 
nal company,  and  started  out  on  the  expedition.  The  two 
Gilsons  from  this  town  were  cousins. 
It  is  related  in  Symmes's  Sermon :  - 

SOME  of  the  Indians  holding  up  Ropes,  ask'd  the  English  if 
they  'd  take  Quarter,  but  were  Answer'd  Briskly,  they  'd  have  none 
but  at  the  Muzzle  of  their  Guns.  (Page  vii.) 

The  savages  had  learned  at  this  period  that  it  was  better 
financially  for  themselves  to  carry  prisoners  to  Canada,  and 
sell  them  to  the  French,  than  to  slay  them  in  battle ;  and 
for  this  reason  they  would  rather  capture  than  kill  their 
enemy.  The  reference  to  holding  up  ropes  means  tying 
them  with  ropes  and  taking  them  away  as  prisoners,  instead 
of  massacring  them. 

The  following  account  of  the  killing  of  the  Indian  sachem 
has  come  down  to  the  present  generation  both  as  written 
history  and  tradition.  The  story  goes  that  some  time  dur- 
ing the  day  John  Chamberlain  went  to  the  pond  to  wash 
out  and  cleanse  his  musket,  which  by  continual  firing  had 
become  foul.  While  thus  engaged  he  spied  the  old  chief, 
whom  he  knew  personally,  a  short  distance  off,  doing  the 
same  thing  to  his  gun.  A  challenge  was  at  once  given  and 
taken,  each  confiding  in  his  own  dexterity.  Paugus  had 
nearly  finished  loading  his  piece,  and  was  priming  it  from  the 
powder-horn,  when  Chamberlain  struck  the  breach  of  his  own 
gun  on  the  ground,  causing  it  to  prime  itself,  and  in  this  way 
got  the  start  of  his  Indian  foe.  He  at  once  fired,  and  the 
bullet  passed  through  Paugus's  heart,  just  as  the  old  chief 
was  aiming  at  him. 

A  third  edition  of  Symmes's  Sermon  was  printed  in  the 
year    1799,    at    Fryeburg,   Maine,   within    two    miles    of  the 


140  DUMMER'S    WAR. 


battle-field.  It  was  edited  by  Elijah  Russell,  then  publishing 
"  Russell's  Echo  "  newspaper  in  that  town.  The  account  of 
the  Fight  is  substantially  the  same  as  that  given  by  Mr. 
Symmes,  though  there  is  some  additional  matter. 

It  is  said  that  Indians  are  wont  to  avenge  the  death  of  their 
slain  kindred  ;  and  stories  are  told  of  their  coming  to  Gro- 
ton,  during  the  last  century,  in  order  to  wreak  their  revenge 
on  Chamberlain.  Such  accounts  may  not  be  authentic,  but 
they  are  characteristic  of  the  times  in  which  they  are  said 
to  have  occurred,  and  perhaps  have  some  foundation  in  fact. 
An  attempt  has  been  made  in  modern  times  to  take  from 
Chamberlain  the  credit  of  killing  the  Indian  chief,  but  the 
earlier  records  and  traditions  seem  to  confirm  the  story. 
After  a  careful  examination  of  the  whole  subject,  I  am  led 
to  believe  that  the  weight  of  evidence  is  in  its  favor.  The 
following  incidents  relating  to  Chamberlain  are  mentioned 
in  the  account  of  Lovewell's  Eight,  which  appears  in  connec- 
tion with  the  third  edition  of  Symmes's  Sermon.  Through- 
out the  pamphlet  Mr.  Russell,  the  editor,  writes  the  name 
"  Lovell,"  —  which  spelling  is  in  accordance  with  the 
pronunciation. 

Several  of  the  Indians,  particularly  ^Hntps  their  Chief,  were  well 
known  to  LOVELL'S  men,  and  frequently  conversed  with  each  other 
during  the  Engagement.  In  the  course  of  the  Battle,  jJangus  and 
John  Chamberlain  discoursed  familiarly  with  each  other  ;  their  guns 
had  become  foul,  from  frequent  firing  ;  they  washed  their  guns  at  the 
pond,  and  the  latter  assured  Paugus  that  he  should  kill  him  ;  Paugus 
also  menaced  him,  and  bid  defiance  to  his  insinuations :  when  they 
had  prepared  their  guns,  they  loaded  and  discharged  them,  and  Paugus 
fell. 

A  son  of  Paugus.  after  it  had  become  a  time  of  peace,  went  to 
Dunstable  [Groton?],  to  revenge  his  father's  death,  with  the  death  of 
Chamberlain  —  He  did  not  go  directly  to  Chamberlain's,  but  to  the 
house  of  a  neighbor,  where  he  tarried  several  days,  upon  some  pre- 
tended business,  that  his  design  might  not  be  discovered  ;  his  errand 
was  however  suspected,  and  a  hint  given  to  Chamberlain  —  who  cut  a 


DUMMER'S   WAR.  141 


port-hole  above  his  door,  through  which  he  very  early  one  morning 
discovered  an  Indian  behind  his  wood-pile,  lying  with  his  gun  pointed 
directly  to  the  door ;  and  it  was  supposed  that  the  same  musket  which 
had  conveyed  the  mean  of  death  to  the  bosom  of  the  great  Paugus, 
also  proved  fatal  to  his  son,  as  he  was  not  afterwards  heard  of. 

It  is  also  reported  of  this  Chamberlain  (who  was  a  stout  and  a 
courageous  man,  and  who  used  to  say  that  he  was  not  to  be  killed 
by  an  Indian),  that  he  was  once  fired  at  by  an  Indian,  as  he  was  at 
work  in  a  saw  mill,  at  night ;  he  was  in  a  stooping  position,  and  did 
not  discover  the  Indian  till  he  fired,  who  was  so  near  him  that  he 
immediately  knocked  him  down  with  a  crowbar,  with  which  he  was 
setting  his  log.  (Pages  23,  24.) 

Charles  James  Fox,  in  his  "  History  of  the  old  Township 
of  Dunstable  "  (Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  1846),  says:  — 

An  Indian  once  called  on  Chamberlain  at  his  saw-mill,  intending  to 
way-lay  him  on  his  return  homeward  at  nightfall,  through  the  forest. 
It  was  a  time  of  peace,  but  Chamberlain  suspected  the  character  of 
his  pretended  friend,  and  the  motive  of  his  visit.  While  engaged  in 
his  work,  he  invited  the  Indian  to  examine  the  wheelpit,  and  seizing 
the  opportunity,  knocked  him  on  the  head  with  a  handspike  without 
compunction.  (Pages  133,  134.) 

The  following  tale  from  a  story-book  is  founded  on  one  of 
the  visits  said  to  have  been  made  by  a  son  of  Paugus,  in 
order  to  avenge  his  father's  death,  and  contains  evidently 
many  inaccuracies  both  in  regard  to  time  and  place :  - 

The  old  French  war  was  over.  The  banners  of  England  had  long 
streamed  above  the  towers  of  Quebec.  The  Indians  had  left  the 
lakes  and  woods  of  New  Hampshire,  for  the  broader  waters,  and 
deeper  forests,  of  Canada  and  the  west.  Time  had  tamed  the  iron 
sinews  of  the  rangers,  untamable  by  any  other  enemy,  or  they  were 
sleeping  "  each  in  his  narrow  cell  forever  laid."  Where  the  red  man 
once  roamed  after  the  moose,  prowled  upon  the  scout,  or  lighted  the 
council  fire,  now  stood  the  infant  village,  and  the  peaceful  neighbor- 
hood. The  water-fall  at  whose  roaring  foot  the  Indian  once  darted 
his  nide  spear  into  the  salmon,  or  hooked  the  trout  upon  his  curved 


142  DUMMER'S   WAR. 


bit  of  bone,  now  turned  the  wheel  of  the  clumsy  grist-mill,  whither 
the  jogging  farmer  brought  his  "rye  and  Indian,"  over  moss  and  hill, 
and  through  bush  and  swamp,  in  safety.  The  congregations,  as  they 
gathered  together  "  at  meeting,"  no  longer  brought  their  charged  guns 
to  the  house  of  worship,  or  feared  that  the  prayers  of  their  minister 
would  be  interrupted  by  the  war-whoop.  Of  Lovell's  men,  scarcely  a 
survivor  remained  of  the  few  that  lived  through  the  desperate  fight,  at 
Pequawket.  Chamberlain  was  still  alive.  He  was  an  old  grey-headed 
man.  He  had  long  given  over  hunting,  and  peace  had  changed  his 
war  spear  into  an  implement  of  husbandry ;  of  all  his  hunting  and 
fighting  years,  nothing  remained  to  him  but  the  gun  that  killed  Paugus 
at  Lovell's  pond,  and  the  bullet  pouch  and  yellow  powder  horn,  cov- 
ered over  with  Indian  devices,  which  were  the  spoil  of  the  savage  in 
that  terrible  encounter.  These  he  had  preserved  with  an  old  man's 
care.  His  cottage,  from  which  went  up  the  solitary  smoke  that  caught 
the  eye  of  Lovell  and  his  men,  now  was  the  centre  of  a  considerable 
hamlet.  A  wild  stream  ran  past  it,  and,  a  little  way  below  it,  tumbled 
down  a  fall,  upon  which  stood  one  of  the  rude  saw- mills  of  that  day, 
and  old  Chamberlain,  once  the  swift  hunter  and  the  strong  and  proud 
warrior,  was  now  the  humble  owner,  and  more  humble  tender.  He 
had  survived  his  wife  and  his  children.  Few  of  his  neighbors  ven- 
tured to  be  familiar  with  him,  on  account  of  the  stern  peculiarity  of  his 
character  ;  and  he  passed  his  days  in  solitude,  except  such  association 
as  men  had  with  him  in  his  humble  vocation. 

In  the  year  I777,1  towards  the  close  of  one  of  those  fair  days  in 
autumn,  which  make  up  the  "  Indian  summer,"  a  number  of  the  vil- 
lagers of  P ,  had  gathered  into  their  one-story  tavern,  to  talk  over 

their  little  politics,  as  they  were  wont,  when  they  were  surprised  and 
startled  by  the  entrance  of  a  young  Indian  among  them.  An  Indian, 

at  that  time,  had  got  to  be  a  rarity  in  P ,      He  was  tall,  over  six 

feet,  and  finely  formed,  after  the  fashion  of  the  forest.  He  had  a  belt 
of  wampum  around  his  waist,  and  from  it  hung  his  tomahawk.  A 
long  gun  was  in  his  hand,  and  he  stood  in  moccasins,  with  the  grace 
and  dignity  of  the  son  of  a  chief.  He  placed  his  gun  behind  the 
door,  and  silently  took  his  seat  by  himself.  A  little  before  sunset  the 
farmers  left  the  inn  and  returned  to  their  homes.  One  old  hunter 

1  It  could  not  have  been  so  late,  by  many  years. 


DUMMER'S    WAR.  143 


remained  with  the  landlord  and  the  young  savage.  The  hunter  eyed 
the  Indian  with  keen  attention,  —  his  suspicions  were  awakened  at  the 
sight  of  this  warrior,  armed,  so  remote  from  the  residence  of  the  near- 
est tribe,  and  in  a  time  of  peace.  He  was  acquainted  with  the 
Indians  in  the  old  wars,  and  his  suspicions  were  heightened  and  con- 
firmed, when  he  heard  the  young  chief  ask  the  landlord,  in  a  low  and 
indifferent  tone,  if  "  one  Chamberlain  dwelt  in  the  village."  The  land- 
lord pointed  out  to  him  the  mill,  where  the  old  man  labored,  and  the 
cottage  where  he  dwelt.  The  Indian  took  his  gun  and  went  out. 

"  Some  of  the  blood  of  old  Paugus,"  said  the  hunter,  "  and,  I  '11 
venture  my  life,  come  to  avenge  the  death  of  that  chief  upon  Cham- 
berlain. I  '11  give  the  old  man  warning."  He  hastily  stepped  out,  and 
following  a  winding  path,  that  led  down  to  the  saw-mill,  where  the  old 
man  was  still  at  his  toils,  he  reached  the  mill,  and  told  Chamberlain, 
that  young  Paugus,  from  Canada,  had  come  with  his  rifle  and  toma- 
hawk to  avenge  upon  him  the  death  of  that  chief.  Chamberlain's 
cheek  turned  ashy  pale,  and  he  sternly  replied,  "  tell  young  Paugus  I 
have  the  gun  that  slew  his  father,  and  he  had  far  better  return  to  his 
forest  than  molest  me  in  my  old  age  ;  "  as  he  spoke,  he  pointed 
to  his  long  gun  as  it  hung  upon  prongs  of  the  moose  horn,  driven 
into  the  saw-mill  plate,  and  near  it  was  suspended  the  bullet-pouch 
and  powder-horn  of  Pequawket.  The  hunter  had  given  his  warning 
and  retired.  The  sun  was  setting  to  the  south  of  Moosehillock. 
Chamberlain  took  down  his  gun,  —  tried  his  flint.  —  charged  it,  —  took 
the  pouch  and  horn  and  flung  them  upon  his  side,  —  hung  up  near  the 
saw-gate  the  old  garment  he  had  worn  at  work  through  the  day,— 
hoisted  the  gate  of  the  mill  and  set  it  rapidly  agoing,  looked  keenly 
around  him,  in  every  direction,  and  retired  to  an  eminence  a  few  rods 
distant,  crowned  with  a  clump  of  thick  bushes,  and  crouched  down 
to  await  the  approach  of  his  mysterious  enemy.  He  was  not,  how- 
ever, mysterious  to  Chamberlain.  The  old  man  remembered  every 
trait  in  the  Indian  character,  and  calculated  with  great  accuracy  as  to 
the  time  and  manner  of  Paugus's  advance.  Just  as  it  was  growing  too 
dusky  to  distinguish  a  human  form,  except  towards  the  west,  the  old  man 
descried  him  creeping  cautiously  from  a  bunch  of  bushes,  eight  or  ten 
rods  above  the  mill,  by  the  torrent,  with  his  cocked  rifle  before  him, 
and  his  hand  upon  the  lock.  The  young  savage  heard  the  noise  of  the 
saw-frame,  and  could  discern  it  in  rapid  motion,  and  shrunk  back  into 


144  DUMMER'S    WAR. 


the  thicket.  He  came  out  again,  a  little  distance  from  where  he  went 
in,  and,  with  the  wary  motions  of  the  ambush,  reconnoitered  the  mill. 
Chamberlain  marked  him  all  the  while,  as  the  catamount  eyes  the  fox. 
Young  Paugus  came  out  of  the  bushes  the  third  time,  and  in  a  new 
quarter,  and  was  stealthily  advancing,  when  something  seemed  to 
catch  his  eye  in  the  form  of  his  father's  slayer  —  he  stopped  short 
—  brought  his  rifle  to  his  eye,  and,  with  quick  aim,  fired.  The  re- 
port rung  sharp  and  low  upon  the  still  air,  as  if  the  gun  itself  were 
muffled,  or  afraid  to  speak  above  its  breath.  Young  Paugus  crept 
out  upon  a  mill  log,  that  extended  over  the  rapid,  and  stretching 
himself  up  to  his  full  height,  as  if  to  ascertain,  without  advancing, 
the  success  of  his  shot.  The  old  man  could  spare  him  no  longer. 
He  saw  the  well-remembered  form  of  the  old  Pequawket  chief,  as  the 
young  savage  stood  against  the  sky  of  the  west,  which  was  still  red  with 
the  rays  of  the  sunken  sun.  He  levelled  the  fatal  gun  —  it  blazed  — 
young  Paugus  leaped  into  the  air  six  feet,  as  the  ball  whistled  through 
his  heart  —  and  his  life^ss  body  fell  far  down  into  the  rapid,  that 
foamed  below  him,  while  his  vengeful  spirit  fled  and  mingled  with  that 
sterner  one,  which  parted  long  before  at  Lovewell's  pond,  in 

"  The  land  where  their  fathers  had  gone." 

Chamberlain  returned  slowly  and  gloomily  to  his  cottage. 

The  next  morning  a  bullet  hole  through  the  centre  of  the  old  gar- 
ment he  had  hung  at  the  saw-frame,  admonished  him,  that  the  aim,  as 
well  as  the  vengeance  of  old  Paugus,  had  descended  to  his  sons  ;  and 
as  he  mused  upon  those  he  had  slain,  and  reflected,  that  although  he 
was  old,  he  still  might  have  again  to  lift  his  gun  against  the  blood  of 
Paugus.  or  himself  fall  by  their  avenging  hand,  he  wished  bitterly,  that 
some  other  bullet  than  his  own  had  slain  that  renowned  chief,  and 
that  they  had  never  met  to  quench  their  battle  thirst,  and  scour  out 
their  foul  guns,  upon  the  shore  of  Lovewell's  pond. 

[Caleb  Butler's   "  History  of  Groton,"  pages  108-110.] 

John  Chamberlain,  the  surviving  hero  of  Lovewell's  Fight, 
was  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Chamberlain,  of 
Chclmsford,  where  he  was  born  March-S*  sa.  29,  1692.  The 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  miller,  who  afterward  removed  to 
Groton,  and  lived  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  northerly  of 


DUMMER'S   WAR.  145 


Wattle's  Pond,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road  to  Hollis. 
He  is  supposed  to  have  died  about  the  year  1709.  After  the 
Fight  the  son  was  known  as  "  Paugus  John,"  and  bore  that 
name  through  life.  He  owned  a  mill,  situated  near  Brown 
Loaf,  on  a  small  stream  formed  by  the  confluence  of  Mar- 
tin's Pond  Brook,  and  another,  now  called  Paugus  Brook. 
His  death  took  place  about  the  year  1758. 

If  ever  young  Paugus  came  to  Groton  in  order  to  avenge 
his  father's  death,  and  it  seems  very  evident  from  tradition 
that  he  did,  it  was  undoubtedly  at  this  place.  Furthermore, 
there  is  a  deep  hole  in  Paugus  Brook,  known  as  Paugus's  Hole, 
wherein  it  is  said  that  Chamberlain  sunk  the  body  of  the 
Indian,  after  he  had  killed  him. 

Many  other  stories  about  the  Indians  have  come  down  by 
tradition,  and  some  of  them  are  probably  true.  The  follow- 
ing one,  told  me  by  Mr.  Charles  Woolley,  relates  to  Isaac 
Lakin,  one  of  Lovewell's  men,  and  has  never  before  appeared 
in  print. 

Lakin  lived  in  a  log-house  near  the  Nashua  River,  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town.  The  house  had  no  glass  windows, 
but  had  shutters  instead,  and  a  door  that  swung  on  wooden 
hinges.  One  day  an  Indian  was  seen  lurking  about  the 
house,  and  hiding  behind  the  stumps,  apparently  bent  on 
mischief.  Lakin  seized  his  gun,  and,  standing  at  a  crack  in 
the  shutters,  told  his  wife  to  swing  the  door  so  that  it  would 
creak  on  its  hinges.  Hearing  the  noise,  and  seeing  the  door 
open,  the  Indian  sprang  from  behind  a  stump,  and  started  for 
the  house,  when  Lakin  fired  and  shot  him  dead.  Seeing 
no  signs  of  other  Indians,  after  dark  he  dug  a  hole  and 
buried  him. 

The  following  letter  shows  the  feeling  of  security  which 
prevailed  in  this  neighborhood  soon  after  Lovewell's  expe- 
dition. It  is  unsigned,  but  in  the  handwriting  of  Josiah 
Willard,  the  Secretary  of  the  Province :  — 


146  BUMMER'S   WAR. 

SIR. 

The  Enemy  being  drawn  off  &  the  Season  of  Danger  pretty 
well  over,  You  must  forthwith  see  that  the  Soldiers  in  the  Frontiers  be 
reduced  to  the  following  Numbers  ;  Viz,  Twenty  five  Men  at  Dunstable 
&  Dracut,  Ten  at  Turkey  Hills,  Fourteen  at  Groton,  Fourteen  at  Lan- 
caster, Twenty  five  at  Rutland  &  ten  at  Brookfield,  &  That  all  the 
Rest  of  the  Soldiers  in  the  Counties  of  Middlesex  &  Essex  Including 
L£  Brentnals  Scouts  be  forthwith  disbanded  :  And  the  several  officers 
are  required  to  put  these  Orders  in  Execution  accordingly. 
[To]  COLL.  TYXG 

Oct.  20,  1725. 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXII.  263.] 

Dummer's  War,  or  Lovcwell's  War,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  ended  early  in  the  year  1/26  ;  and  peace  again 
reigned  along  the  frontier  borders.  There  was  a  respite  of 
hostilities  during  a  considerable  period,  and  the  outlying  set- 
tlements grew  in  number  as  well  as  population. 

The  General  Court  allowed,  June  17,  1/25,  the  sum  of  .£30 
to  the  family  of  Ellis  or  Elias  Barren,  of  Groton,  who  got  lost 
after  the  action,  and  never  was  found.  According  to  a  peti- 
tion in  the  printed  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
December  21,  1726,  his  widow's  name  was  Priscilla. 

Eleazer  Davis,  of  Concord,  who  was  in  the  famous  Fight, 
subsequently  removed  to  the  town  of  Harvard,  which  was 
made  up  in  part  of  Groton,  and  incorporated  on  June  29, 
1732.  In  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  June 
15,  1738,  is  entered  :  - 

A  Petition  of  Eleazer  Daris  of  Harvard  in  the  County  of  Worces- 
ter, praying  the  Consideration  of  the  Court  on  Account  of  his  Suffer- 
ings and  Services,  particularly  the  Wounds  and  Smarts  received  in 
the  Fight  under  the  Command  of  the  late  Capt.  Lovcwell,  against  the 
Indian  Enemy  at  Pigwacket. 

Read  and  Ordered,  That  John  Russell,  and  Robert  Hale,  Esqrs  ; 
Mr.  Moodey,  and  Mr.  Terry,  be  a  Committee  to  consider  the  said 
Petition,  and  report  what  may  be  proper  to  be  done  thereon. 


DUMMER'S  WAR.  147 


On  the  following  day  Mr.  Russell,  the  chairman  of  the 
Committee,  reported  an  order  that :  — 

the  Sum  of  four  Pounds  per  Annum  of  the  new  tenor  Bills,  be 
granted  and  allowed  to  be  paid  out  of  the  publick  Treasury  for  the 
space  of  five  Years  to  the  Petitioner  Eleazer  Davis,  to  commence 
from  the  first  Day  of  this  Instant  June,  by  way  of  Stipend  or  Pension, 
on  Account  of  the  Wounds  and  Smart  received  as  within  mentioned. 

In  the  same  Journal,  June  16,  1738,  is  recorded:  - 

A  Petition  of  Josiah  Sartell,  shewing  that  he  was  a  Soldier  in  the 
Service  of  the  Province  for  sundry  Years,  and  was  in  divers  Fights 
against  the  Indian  Enemy,  wherein  many  of  them  were  slain,  and  he 
himself  was  wounded  in  some  of  the  Engagements,  that  he  has  re- 
ceived nothing  in  Consideration  of  his  Smart  and  Services,  but  the 
established  Pay,  that  he  has  a  large  Family,  and  under  low  Circum- 
stances :  that  he  lately  presumed  for  want  of  Lands  and  Means  of 
purchasing,  to  go  upon  some  of  the  Province  Land  on  the  West  side 
of  Connecticut  River,  adjoining  to  Northfield,  a  new  Canada  Town 
and  some  Farms,  has  built  a  small  House  thereon,  and  improved 
some  of  the  Lands  there,  praying  that  he  may  obtain  a  Grant,  or  be 
allowed  to  purchase  such  Part  of  the  Province  Land  there,  as  the 
Court  shall  think  convenient  in  Consideration  of  the  Premisses.  Read 
and  Ordered,  That  the  Petition  be  considered  on  Tuesday  the  2Oth 
Instant. 

It  was  voted,  June  22,  that  one  hundred  acres  of  the  un- 
appropriated lands  of  the  Province  be  granted  the  petitioner ; 
and,  in  the  record  of  this  date,  the  name  is  spelled  Joseph 
Sautell.  It  is  now  unknown  when  or  where  his  term  of  service 
took  place. 


CHAPTER    V. 


KING    GEORGE'S    WAR. 


Ix  the  year  1744  v/ar  was  again  declared  between  England 
and  France,  called  by  the  English  colonists  King  George's 
War.  Civilization  had  now  pushed  the  belt  of  frontier  towns 
far  into  the  wilderness ;  and  Groton  was  no  longer  exposed 
to  the  assaults  of  the  Indians,  though  at  times  threatened 
with  danger.  Her  sons  and  soldiers,  however,  were  still 
found,  during  this  period,  on  the  outer  rim  of  settlements, 
whenever  and  wherever  their  services  were  needed,  either  to 
extend  the  borders  or  to  defend  them.  A  military  organiza- 
tion was  kept  up  in  the  town,  ready  for  emergencies  here,  or 
elsewhere  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  first  settlement  of  Charlestown,  New  Hampshire,  — 
then  known  as  No.  4,  —  was  made  in  the  year  1740,  by  three 
brothers,  Samuel,  David,  and  Stephen  Farnsworth,  natives  of 
Groton ;  and  they  were  soon  followed  by  Isaac  Parker  and 
his  sons,  and  Obadiah  Sawtell,  also  of  this  town.  The  Farns- 
worths  were  leading  men  at  Charlestown,  and  they  distin- 
guished themselves  on  several  occasions  in  fights  with  the 
Indians.  Samuel  Farnsworth,  the  eldest  brother,  was  killed 
in  a  skirmish,  May  2,  1746.  David  was  taken  prisoner  by  a 


KING   GEORGE'S   WAR. 


party  of  French  Indians,  April  20,  1757,  and  carried  to 
Canada.  He  managed  to  escape,  and  reached  home,  not  a 
long  time  probably  after  his  capture.  Stephen,  the  youngest 
brother,  had  also  his  bitter  experience  with  the  enemy.  He 
was  captured,  April  19,  1746,  and  taken  to  Montreal,  where 
he  remained  seventeen  long  months  before  he  was  exchanged. 
His  health  was  so  broken  down  by  the  hardships  of  his  cap- 
tivity that  he  never  fully  regained  it.  He  died  September  6, 
1771,  leaving  behind  the  reputation  of  a  brave  man  and  a 
good  citizen. 

Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  a  native  of  Groton,  and  a  kinsman 
of  the  three  brothers  just  mentioned,  was  captured,  August 
30,  1754,  by  the  St.  Francis  Indians,  at  Charlestown.  He 
was  carried  to  Montreal  and  held  a  prisoner  during  three 
years.  His  ransom  was  paid  in  the  summer  of  1755,  but  he 
was  not  then  set  at  liberty.  Mrs.  Susanna  Johnson  and  her 
sister,  Miriam  Willard,  were  taken  at  the  same  time. 
They  were  both  daughters  of  Moses  Willard,  who  had  for- 
merly lived  in  the  south  part  of  this  town.  A  full  account  of 
the  affair  is  given  in  "  A  Narrative  of  the  Captivity  of  Mrs. 
Johnson,"  published  at  Walpole,  New  Hampshire,  in  1796. 
Two  years  later,  on  June  18,  1756,  Moses  Willard,  the  father, 
was  killed  by  the  Indians,  at  Charlestown ;  and  in  the  same 
attack  his  son,  Moses,  Jr.,  had  a  narrow  escape  from  death 
by  the  hands  of  the  savages,  being  severely  wounded  at  the 
time. 

Lieutenant  Isaac  Parker  was  taken  by  the  Indians  at  the 
same  time  with  Stephen  Farnsworth,  and  remained  in  cap- 
tivity until  the  following  winter,  when  he  was  returned  to 
Boston  under  a  flag  of  truce. 

The  Sawtell  family  is  also  largely  represented  in  Charles- 
town,  where  the  name  is  now  spelled  Sartwell.  It  is  a  numer- 
ous family  in  that  town,  and  they  sprang  from  the  early  settler, 
Obadiah,  who  went  from  Groton.  He,  too,  had  a  sad  ex- 
perience in  savage  warfare,  and  once  was  captured  by  the 


150  KING   GEORGE'S   WAR. 

Indians.  He  was  taken  by  them,  May  24,  1/46,  and  remained 
a  prisoner  until  August  20,  1747.  lie  finally  met  his  death 
at  their  hands,  June  17,  1749,  being  attacked  while  ploughing 
in  his  corn-field,  unsuspicious  of  any  danger. 

Charles  Holden,  Isaac  Holden,  and  Seth  Walker,  natives 
of  Groton,  were  early  settlers  and  proprietors  of  Charlestown. 
Moses  Wheeler  was  another  pioneer,  and  a  distinguished  sol- 
dier, taking  part  in  some  of  the  fiercest  encounters  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War.  He  was  a  large  man,  and  noted  for 
his  strength.  He  was  called  by  the  Indians  "  the  strong 
man."  Moses  Willard,  Isaac  Fanvell,  and  Micah  Fuller, 
other  settlers,  were  also  from  this  town.  Eleazer  Priest,  son 
of  Joseph  Priest,  of  Groton,  and  a  soldier,  was  captured  by 
the  Indians,  March  15,  1748,  at  Charlestown,  and  died  at 
Louisburg,  Nova  Scotia,  in  September  of  that  year,  while 
on  his  way  home. 

In  the  year  1746  Charlestown  was  deserted  on  account  of 
the  Indians,  and  the  retiring  inhabitants  took  up  their  abode 
mostly  in  Groton,  Lunenburg,  and  Leominster.  Many  of  the 
facts  concerning  this  frontier  settlement  in  the  Connecticut 
Valley,  I  have  found  in  the  "  History  of  Charlestown,  New- 
Hampshire,  the  Old  No.  4,"  written  by  the  Reverend  Henry 
H.  Saunderson,  and  published  in  the  year  1876. 

During  King  George's  War,  alarms  in  New  England  were 
sometimes  caused  by  the  presence  of  French  vessels  along 
the  coast.  In  the  early  autumn  of  1746  an  attack  on  Boston 
was  threatened  by  the  Duke  d'Anville's  fleet ;  and  it  is  said 
that  more  than  eight  thousand  men  under  arms  rushed  at 
short  notice  to  the  defence  of  the  capital.  Among  these  sol- 
diers was  a  company  from  Groton,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  William  Lawrence.  The  alarm  was  of  short  dura- 
tion, and  the  term  of  service  on  the  part  of  the  men  corre- 
spondingly short,  ranging  from  two  to  twelve  days.  The 
muster-roll  of  the  company  during  this  brief  period  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  Mr.  James  Lawrence  Bass,  of  Boston  ;  and 


KING   GEORGE'S   WAR.  151 

I  am  indebted  to  his  courtesy  for  a  copy  of  it.  Mr.  Bass  is  a 
great-great-grandson  of  Captain  Lawrence,  and  the  roll  has 
come  down  with  other  family  papers.  The  list  of  officers 
was :  — 

William  Lawrence,  captain, 

James  Prescott,  lieutenant, 

John  Woods,  lieutenant, 

Obadiah  Parker,  sergeant, 

Hezekiah  Sawtell,  sergeant, 

Amos  Lawrence,  sergeant, 

William  Prescott,  clerk, 

John  Pratt,  corporal, 

Joseph  Page,  corporal, 

Israel  Hobart,  corporal, 

Jonathan  Longley,  sentinel. 

Captain  Lawrence  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  present 
Main  Street,  just  north  of  James's  Brook,  and  always  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  He  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Anna  (Tarbell)  Lawrence,  was  born  August  11, 
1697,  and  married  Susanna,  one  of  the  eight  daughters  of 
Jonas  Prescott.  Captain  Lawrence  subsequently  became  the 
colonel  of  his  regiment,  and  during  many  years  represented 
the  town  in  the  General  Court.  He  was  an  older  brother  of 
Sergeant  Amos  Lawrence,  the  ancestor  of  several  distinguished 
families. 

Lieutenant  James  Prescott  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Abigail  (Oliver)  Prescott,  and  born  on  January  13,  1/20  i. 
Through  his  aunt  Susanna  he  was  a  nephew  of  the  company 
commander  ;  and  by  his  own  subsequent  marriage  to  a  cousin, 
he  became  a  son-in-law  of  the  same  officer.  During  a  long 
life  he  was  much  engaged  in  public  affairs ;  and  in  the  militia 
he  passed  through  all  the  grades  of  office  from  ensign  to 
colonel.  He  was  the  elder  brother  of  the  company  clerk, 
who  in  later  years  became  distinguished  as  the  commander 
of  the  American  forces  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  At  this 


KING   GEORGE'S    WAR. 


time  William  Prescott  was  only  twenty  years  old,  and  this 
episode  in  his  career  was  his  earliest  military  experience. 
His  term  of  service  was  five  days,  for  which  he  received 
the  sum  of  five  shillings  and  tenpence,  as  his  signature  on 
the  back  of  the  roll  shows.  The  other  officers  were  well- 
known  men  of  recognized  ability.  The  list  of  privates  in  the 
company  was :  — 


Amos  Holdin 
James  Burt 
Sam"  Scripture  Jnr 
Ebenezer  Farnsworth  Jnr 
Joseph  Farwell  Jnr 
David  Sawtell  Jnr 
John  Preist 
Thomas  Lawrence 
Ambros  Lakin 
Benja  Page 
William  Bush 
Oliver  Farnsworth 
Oliver  fanvell 
Isaac  Peirce 
Samuel  Nichols 
Benjamin  Chase 
Amos  Robinson 
Ruben  Woods 
William  Simonds 
John  Sawtell 
Mathias  Farnsworth 
Zechariah  Sawtell 
Benj1  Davis 
Josiah  Farnsworth 
Sam"  Kemp 
Isaac  Green 
Jonathan  Green 
Sam"  farwell 
James  Hartwell 


James  Tarbell 
Zecheriah  Longley 
John  White  Jnr 
Benj:1  Steward 
John  Harris 
William  Tucker 
Stephan  Johnson 
John  Whitman 
Nathaniel  White 
Abial  Stone 
John  Farwell 
John  Edwards  Jnr 
Sam"  Tenney 
Thomas  Curtis 
Joseph  Blanchard  Jnr 
Thomas  Powers 
Jonathan  Patch 
Eleazor  Wood 
Oliver  Corey 
Oliver  Whitcomb 
Sam"  Hore 
Lemuel  Barret 
Robart  Chapin 
Josiah  Hasting 
Jonathan  Parker 
Bennet  Wood 
William  Warrin 
Simon  Davis  Jnr 
David  Powers  Jnr 


KKNG   GEORGE'S    WAR. 


Nathan  Hartwell  Simon  Blanchard 

Jonathan  Nutting  Abel  Jewett 

Nathaniel  Woods  Robert  Robins  Jnr 

John  Tarbell  Ephrain  Philbrek 

Receipts  for  service  are  in  existence  which  seem  to  show 
that  this  muster-roll  was  incomplete.  Some  of  the  men  were 
from  Littleton  and  others  from  Lancaster.  Private  Thomas 
Lawrence,  who  was  a  nephew  of  the  Captain,  subsequently 
served  with  great  credit  during  the  French  and  Indian  \Yar 
as  a  commissioned  officer,  and  lost  his  life  in  a  skirmish  with 
the  Indians  at  Half-way  Brook,  near  Lake  George,  on  July  20, 
1758. 

In  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  April  22, 
1746,  is  found  "A  Petition  of  William  Tarbell  of  Groton,  a 
Soldier  wounded  in  the  Service  of  the  Province,  praying  a 
Consideration  therefor."  The  petitioner  belonged  to  the 
same  family  as  the  Tarbell  children  who  were  carried  off  to 
Canada,  and  was  probably  their  nephew. 

In  the  summer  of  1747  a  body  of  Indians  made  their 
appearance  within  the  limits  of  Fitchburg,  and  committed 
various  acts  of  depredation.  Attacking  the  garrison  of  John 
Fitch,  early  one  morning,  they  killed  two  soldiers ;  and,  burn- 
ing the  house,  carried  off  as  prisoners  Fitch  and  his  wife,  with 
their  four  children.  An  alarm  was  at  once  given,  and  Rufus 
C.  Torrey,  in  his  History  of  Fitchburg  (1865),  says:  - 

Soldiers  arrived  in  an  incredibly  short  period,  from  Groton,  Lan- 
caster, and  even  from  Westford.  They  immediately  put  themselves 
under  the  command  of  Major  Hartwell,  and  started  in  pursuit.  They 
had  not  proceeded  far  beyond  the  smoking  ruins  of  the  garrison, 
before  they  discovered  a  paper  stuck  in  the  bark  of  a  tree.  This 
contained  a  request,  signed  by  Fitch,  not  to  have  his  friends  pursue 
him  ;  for  the  Indians  had  given  him  to  understand  what  his  destiny 
was  to  be  if  they  were  not  molested  ;  but  if  they  should  be  pursued, 
and  likely  to  be  overtaken,  then  they  should  forthwith  kill  him,  together 
with  his  wife  and  children.  The  soldiers,  on  the  receipt  of  this,  returned. 
(Page  49.) 


154  KING   GEORGE'S    WAR. 

Scouting  parties  went  out,  from  time  to  time,  as  occasion 
required,  in  order  to  reconnoitre  the  country  and  protect  the 
neighborhood.  They  were  made  up  largely  of  men  used  to 
hardships  and  fond  of  adventure,  who  were  training  in  a  good 
school  for  future  service.  Some  of  the  most  efficient  soldiers 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  received  the  rudiments  of  their 
military  education  at  this  period. 

Near  the  end  of  King  George's  War,  the  town  was  again 
threatened  with  danger;  and  a  company  of  thirty-two  men, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Thomas  Tarbell,  scouted  in 
this  vicinity  for  six  days  in  July,  1748,  but  they  do  not  appear 
to  have  discovered  the  enemy.  A  few  days  afterward  another 
company,  of  thirty-six  men,  was  sent  on  a  similar  expedition, 
but  with  no  better  success.  In  the  rolls  of  these  two  com- 
panies are  many  nam'es  prominent  in  the  annals  of  the  town 
from  its  very  beginning.  Among  them  are  the  Prescotts,  the 
Lawrences,  the  Shattucks,  the  Ameses,  the  Bancrofts,  the 
Shepleys,  the  Parkers,  a  son  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Bradstreet, 
and  a  grandson  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Hobart. 

A  List  of  the  Names  of  the  men  that  Scouted  In  the  woods  In  July 
last  under  the  comand  of  Cap!  Tho"  Tarbell  of  Groton  &  the  Number 
of  I  )ays  the  ware  In  s '  Service 

We  Set  out  yf  7  Day  &  :  Returned  ye  i^  Except  Jacob  Ames  who 

was  Taken  sick  &  Returned  back  y?  2'.'  Day 
Groton  Get;  21";  1748 

attest  THO^  LAWRENCE  Cler. 

Liu  Eleazer  Green  Samu  Kemp  Jur 

Ensighn  Stephen  Holden  Jona^  Shattuck  Ju' 

Sarga'  John  Page  John  Gilson  Jill 

Serg.  Simon  Pearce  Joseph  Patterson 

Sam1!  Shattuck  Jur  Timothy  Mores 

James  Shattuck  Neb?  Jewett 

Eleazer  Tarbell  Edm?  Bancroft 

Jonathan  Holden  Isaac  Holden 

Elias  Ellett  Pilott  Jerah'  Powers 


KING   GEORGE'S   WAR.  155 

John  Shattuck  Nath?  Smith 

Moses  Woods  Jona!  Lawrence 

Tho?  Lakin  Henry  Jefts 

John  Keemp  Aaron  Woods 

Jona"  Sartell  Jacob  Ames 

Moses  Blood  Eleazer  Green  Ju' 

Henrey  Farwell  John  Parker  Ju[ 

also  by  the  authority  a  fore  sd  on  the  28th  of  July  I  marched  in  to 
The-  wilderness  in  quest  of  the  Enemy  with  The  men  whose  Names 
are  hear  after  written  and  Returned  the  29  Day :  and  we  found  our 
Selues  both  preuision  and  amanision  both  Times. 

John  Bulkely  Jonas  Parker 

James  Prescott  Ruben  Woods 

John  Gilson  Jonathan  Lawrance 

Dudley  bradstreet  Jeremiah  hobart 

Jeremiah  Shattuck  Isaac  Lakin  Jun1 

William  Nutting  Joseph  bennett 

Thos  Lawrance  Joseph  Chandler 

Isaac  Green  Isaac  Patch  Junr 

Jos.  Sheeple  John  Nutting  Jr 

Thos  Woods  Jonathan  prescot 

Joseph  Parker  Daniel  Pollard 

Nathaniel  Parker  Ebenezer  Lakin 

W-  bennett  Peter  Parker 

Nathaniel  Shattuck  Sam"  bowers 

Ezekiel  Nutting  Thos  Chamberlin 

Joseph  Gilson  Ebenezer  blood 

Isaac  Gilson  Nathaniel  Davis  Junr 

James  fisk  Josiah  Sartell  clerk 

THO  TARBELL  Cap1 
[Endorsed] 

Nouember  ioth  1748  this  may  Certifie  that  the  Cap1  and  men 
within  mentioned  ware  sent  oute  by  me  and  by  Co"  Willards  order 
Directed  to  me  : 

WILLIAM  LAWRENCE 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XCII.  156.] 


KING   GEORGE'S   WAR. 


Daniel  Farmer,  a  Groton  soldier,  was  taken  prisoner,  July 
14,  1748,  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians,  near  Fort  Dummer.1 
He  was  carried  to  Canada,  and  kept  till  the  following  October, 
when  he  was  allowed  to  return  home. 

Fort  Dummer  was  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Con- 
necticut River,  in  the  present  town  of  Brattleborough,  Ver- 
mont. Two  of  its  early  commanders  had  been  connected 
with  Groton  by  the  ties  of  kindred.  Colonel  Josiah  Willard, 
for  many  years  in  command  of  the  Fort,  was  a  grandson  of 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Willard ;  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Lieuten- 
ant Dudley  Bradstreet,  a  son  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Bradstreet, 
and  a  native  of  this  place. 

Jonathan  Nutting,  whose  petition  is  found  in  the  Journal 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  June  9,  1755,  and  herewith 
given,  was  undoubtedly  a  Groton  man :  — 

A  Petition  of  Jonathan  Nutting,  a  Soldier  at  St.  George's  Fort, 
representing  the  Difficulties  he  is  reduced  to  by  Reason  of  the  great 
Charge  he  was  at  in  a  long  Sickness  which  befell  him  in  the  Year 
1751;  and  praying  for  such  Allowance  out  of  the  public  Treasury  for 
his  Relief,  as  may  be  judged  reasonable. 

Joseph  Gilson,  whose  application  for  an  allowance  appears 
in  the  same  Journal,  January  11,  1/60,  and  is  here  printed, 
was  probably  the  soldier  who  served  in  Captain  Lovewell's 
expedition  to  Pequawket,  during  the  spring  of  1725  :  — 

A  Petition  of  Joseph  Gilson  of  Groton,  representing  his  Services 
and  Sufferings  for  his  Country,  praying  a  Compensation,  for  the 
Reasons  mentioned. 

King  George's  War  was  brought  to  an  end  by  the  treaty 
of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  the  year  1748. 

1  Benjamin  H.  Hall's  "History  of  Eastern  Vermont."    (Page  50.) 


CHAPTER   VI. 


FRENCH     AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


IT  was  not  many  years  after  this  period  that  another  war 
broke  out,  known  in  America  as  the  French  and  Indian  War. 
It  was  the  last  and  severest  of  the  intercolonial  struggles,  and 
the  Indians  fought  on  each  side,  though  mostly  against  us. 
The  first  conflict  of  arms  took  place  in  May,  1754,  and  the 
war  continued  until  a  treaty  of  peace  was  made  in  February, 
1763.  Several  expeditions  were  organized  at  different  times, 
in  which  Groton  men  bore  their  part. 

Thomas  Lawrence  was  the  second  lieutenant  of  a  company, 
in  an  expedition  up  the  Kennebec  River  during  the  summer 
of  1754.  His  subsequent  career  shows  him  to  have  been  a 
brave  man,  —  a  better  fighter  than  speller,  judging  from  the 
following  petition  on  file  at  the  State  House :  - 

Prouince  of      ~\  To  His  Exdency  William  Shear -ly  Esqr  Cap*  Gen- 

the  Massetuchsets  C      eral  and  Commandder  in  Chceff  of  s*  Prouince 

and  to  the  Honnorrable  His  Majesty's  Counsel 

and  House  of  Rcpresentaues  Now  Assembled  at 

Boston  the  30'*  of  October  A  :  D  :   1754 

The  Pertision  of  Thomas  Larrance  of  Groton  in  the  County  of 
Meddelsex 

Humbly  Shueth  that  you  pertisener  Chearfully  Ingaged  in  the  Ex- 
peditision  Wich  hath  ben  performed  to  the  Eastward  up  Cenebeck 
Riuer  and  Went  in  the  Copasety  of  a  Second  LeP  in  the  Company 


158  FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 

under  the  Command  of  Cap'  Humphry  Hobbs  and  alhvays  Encleuered 
to  pcrfourme  Euery  Command  according  to  the  best  of  His  Powar 
and  after  His  Return  from  the  Long  march  up  Cenebeck  Riuer  your 
Petisionner  was  called  upon  to  Asist  in  raiseng  of  a  block  House  at 
Fert  Hallefax  Wich  he  ded  and  in  Laying  Down  one  of  the  plank  it 
being  too  Heauy  for  Him  it  gaue  His  Back  a  sudden  Rinch  Wich 
I  often  Feel  the  Effects  of  to  this  Day  and  fear  shall  as  Long  as  I  live 
and  soon  after  was  Taiken  With  a  slow  feaver  Wich  is  Now  more  than 
six  Weakes  and  it  is  Now  Fiue  Weaks  next  Saterday  since  I  Landded 
at  Boston  and  was  carred  to  Mrs  Sharrows  Whare  I  Have  Laid  Euer 
since  but  Now  throw  the  Graite  goodness  of  God  am  Gott  so  Well  as 
to  Indeuer  to  Ride  Home  in  a  Chair  if  I  had  one,  and  by  Reason 
of  this  Long  and  Tedious  sickness  hath  ocationed  Graite  Expence  as 
may  Apear  by  the  Accompts  Hear  unto  annexe!.  Whearfore  I  humbly 
Pray  your  Exelancy  and  Honnours  to  Grant  such  Releaf  in  the  prem- 
eses  as  in  your  Graite  Wisdom  and  Goodness  you  shall  see  meet  and 
your  pertisinour  as  in  Duty  Bound  shall  euer  Pray 

THOMAS  LAWRANCE 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXIV.  258.] 

Two  days  afterwards  the  sum  of  £11  io.y.  *jd.  was  allowed 
the  petitioner  out  of  the  public  treasury.  The  bill  of  his 
physician,  Gillarn  Tayler,  was  £2  6s.  ^d.,  and  that  of  his  land- 
lady, Mary  Sharrow,  .£59  I  is.  6d.,  old  tenor,  equivalent  to 
£•/  iSs.  iod.,  lawful  money. 

Fort  Halifax  was  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Kennebec 
River,  within  the  present  limits  of  Winslow,  Maine.  This 
town  was  incorporated  in  the  year  1/71,  arid  so  named  after 
General  John  Winslow,  who  was  in  command  of  the  expedition 
sent  to  that  region  when  the  fort  was  built. 

Henry  Woods  was  in  the  same  expedition,  and  his  petition 
is  as  follows  :  — 

"}  77?  his  Excellency  William  Shirlev  Esqr  Cap'.  Gcn- 
Province  of  the     f  j      •     ^i  •  ,•  •     <• 

,,  ,    -r,  eral  Lrovernour  ana  Commander  tn  Chief  in  & 

Massachusetts  Bay  ( 

Over  Province 

To  the  Hon''!c  his  Majesties  Council  and  House  of  Representatives 
assembled  at  Boston  Febr?  5'!'  1755 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


The  Petition  of  Henry  Woods  of  Groton  In  the  County  of  Midds* 
Humbly  shevveth  that  your  Petitioner  Enlisted  himself  to  go  (the  sum- 
mer past)  in  the  Expedition  to  the  Eastward  on  Kenebeck  River ;  & 
always  faithfully  Perform'd  what  service  I  was  call'd  For,  But  about 
the  beginning  of  Sepl  last,  was  Taken  sick  att  Fort  Hallifax,  (with  the 
nervous  Feaver)  &  Lay  there  about  ninety  Days  ;  So'  bad  a  Consid- 
erable Part  of  the  Time  That  Life  almost  dispair'd  of.  But  Thro  : 
Divine  Goodness  arriv'd  at  Boston  the  ninth  of  Dec[  Last :  and  was 
Carryed  to  Mr.s  Sherrows  :  and  there  Lay  Confined  by  a  Feaver-Sore 
(under  the  hand  of  Doc'.r  Taylor)  more  Than  a  month  and  then 
Convey'd  in  a  Chair  to  Groton  not  being  able  Ever  since,  to  do  an 
hours  work,  or  walk  about  the  House  without  something  to  lean 
upon 

May  it  Please  Your  Excellency  :  &  Honrs  Your  Petitioner  would 
Crave  Leave  to  inform  you,  That  Clafford  S:  Hambleton  the  Two  men 
That  nurs'd  me  at  Hallifax  Demanded  of  me  Six  Pounds  and  .Eight 
Slullings  Lawful  Money  :  Saying  that  Cap!  Melvin  Promis'd  them  so 
much  p  day  as  amounted  to  that  sum.  And  when  I  arriv'd  at  Boston 
hearing  that  Cap'  Melvin  was  dead  :  I  then  Gave  them  a  Part  in 
money,  and  a  note  of  hand  for  the  Remainder. 

Mrf  Sherrows  Demands  are  about  five  Pounds  fifteen  Shillings.  I 
have  forgott,  what  Doc'.r  Taylors  ace'  was  ;  But  am  Inform'd  That  your 
Excellency,  and  Hon7  were  Pleas'd  to  allow  his  Ace'  (upon  my  for- 
mer Petition)  for  which  I  give  your  Excellency  and  Honrs  hearty 
Thanks.  Praying  That  you  would  be  Pleased  again  to  take  under 
your  Compassionate  Consideration  my  Difficult  &  Distressing  Circum- 
stances :  and  Grant  such  Relief  as  in  your  Great  Wisdom  &  Goodness 
you  may  think  Proper,  and  your  Poor  Distressed  Petitioner  as  in  Duty 
shall  Ever  Pray 

HENRY  WOODS 

Groton  Feb7  io'.h  1755 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  LXXIV.  330.] 

From  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Janu- 
ary i,  1755,  it  appears  that  Woods  had  previously  presented 
another  petition. 

In  answer  to  the  second  petition,  he  was  allowed,  February 
20,  ^5  for  his  nurses  before  he  came  to  Boston,  and  the 
further  sum  of  £5  os.  "d.  for  his  landlady. 


160  FRENCH    AND    INDIAN   WAR. 


The  chair  mentioned  in  these  petitions  was  a  vehicle  which 
long  since  passed  out  of  use.  It  resembled  a  chaise  with  the 
top  taken  off,  and  was  generally  wide  enough  to  carry  two 
persons. 

According  to  the  same  Journal,  March  31,  1756,  Woods 
made  a  third  application  for  relief,  one  year  later.  It  is  as 
follows :  — 

A  Petition  of  Henry  Woods  of  Groton,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex, 
setting  forth,  that  being  a  Soldier  in  the  Expedition  to  the  River  Ken- 
nebcck  in  the  Year  1754,  was  taken  sick,  and  by  his  long  Confinement 
then  contracted  such  Indisposition  as  has  rendered  him  unable  to 
Labour  for  his  Support  as  heretofore  ;  that  he  was  put  to  great  Ex- 
pence  thereby,  and  has  received  but  a  partial  Allowance  therefor  ;  and 
praying  such  further  Relief  under  his  distressed  Circumstances,  as 
shall  be  judged  meet. 

Thomas  Lawrence  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Prudence 
Lawrence,  and  born  at  Groton,  on  September  3,  1720.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  great  size  and  strength. 
During  the  summer  of  1758  he  commanded  a  company  be- 
longing to  the  force  operating  around  Lake  George ;  and  in 
the  memorable  skirmish  at  a  place  called  Half-way  Brook, 
July  20  of  that  year,  he  was  killed,  with  four  of  his  men  : 
namely,  Corporal  Nehemiah  Gould,  Privates  Abel  Sawtell, 
Ebenezer  Ames,  and  Stephen  Foster.  More  than  twenty 
soldiers  were  slain  in  the  action,  and  all  but  one  scalped  by 
the  savage  allies  of  the  French.  The  Reverend  Samuel 
Sewall,  in  the  Appendix  to  his  "  History  of  Woburn,  Massa- 
chusetts "  (page  550),  prints  the  journal  kept  by  Samuel 
Thompson,  which  gives  a  full  account  of  the  affair. 

Captain  Lawrence  lived  in  that  part  of  Groton  which  is 
now  Pepperell ;  and  on  the  departure  of  his  company  for 
the  army,  the  Reverend  Joseph  Fmerson  preached  a  sermon. 
It  was  delivered  May  7,  1758,  before  "  Capt.  Thomas  Law- 
rence, and  Part  of  his  Company  of  Soldiers :  Before  their 
going  out  into  public  Service."  and  afterward  published. 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR.  161 

Like  all  discourses  of  that  period  it  is  purely  doctrinal 
in  its  character,  and  contains  not  one  word  of  interest  to 
the  present  generation.  It  would  have  been  easy  for  the 
author  to  have  given  some  information  about  the  various 
enlistments  of  the  men,  and  a  history  of  the  company  gen- 
erally; but  on  these  points  he  is  utterly  silent.  It  may  be 
said,  however,  in  his  behalf,  that  he  was  talking  to  them  and 
not  to  us. 

Sergeant  Oliver  Lakin,  of  Captain  Lawrence's  company, 
was  taken  prisoner  in  the  action  at  Half-way  Brook,  though 
he  subsequently  escaped.  The  following  entry  in  regard  to 
him  is  found  in  the  Journal  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of 
Representatives  for  January  10,  1760:  - 

A  Petition  of  Oliver  Laken  of  Groton,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex, 
shewing,  that  he  was  a  Soldier  in  the  Pay  of  the  Province  Anno  1758, 
and  was  on  the  2Oth  Day  of  July  the  same  Year,  Captivated  by  the 
Indian  Enemy,  suffered  many  &  great  Hardships,  and  was  obliged  to 
borrow  a  Sum  of  Money  to  purchase  his  Freedom  from  Captivity ;  he 
therefore  prays  he  may  be  allowed  the  Sum  of  Money  he  borrowed  ; 
also  the  Charges  of  his  Passage  home,  and  a  further  Allowance  for  his 
Loss  of  Time  and  Sufferings  &c. 

The  answer  to  the  petition  is  found  two  days  later,  in  the 
proceedings  of  January  12,  as  follows:  - 

The  Committee  appointed  to  consider  the  Petition  of  Oliver  Lakin, 
Reported  thereon. 

Read  and  accepted  in  Part,  viz.  Resolved,  That  the  Sum  of  eight 
Pounds,  be  allowed  and  paid  out  of  the  public  Treasury  to  William 
Lawrence,  Esq ;  for  the  Use  of  the  Petitioner,  in  full  Consideration 
for  his  Services  and  Sufferings  therein  mentioned. 

Sent  up  for  Concurrence. 

The  petitioner  was  a  son  of  William  and  Miriam  Lakin,  and 
a  great-grandson  of  Ensign  John  Lakin,  one  of  the  original 
proprietors  of  the  town. 

The  following  letter,  from  Lieutenant  Woods  to  his  com- 
pany commander,  is  found  in  Miss  Hemenway's  "Vermont 


162  FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 

Historical  Gazetteer"  (IV.   1155,  1 156),  and  refers  to  Lakin's 
release  from  captivity :  - 

To  Captain  Ephraim  Wesson,  Groton,  in  the  Bay  Government :  — 

CAMP   AT   TlCONDEROGA,  ) 

August  ye  1 2th,  1759.      \ 

Sir :  —  These  with  my  regards  to  you  and  yours,  are  to  let  you 
know  that  I  am  in  good  health. 

Sir :  —  To  my  great  joy  I  received  your  letter,  which  informed 
me  that  you  and  all  my  friends  were  well  ;  also  that  Oliver  Larkin 
[Lakin?]  was  returned  from  captivity,  and  the  remarkable  account  of 
his  getting  home  from  the  enemy.  Give  my  compliments  to  said  Oliver, 
and  tell  him  that  we  are  paying  them  for  their  old  tricks.  As  fur  the 
affairs  among  us,  our  employ  is  chiefly  fatigue  duty.  Part  of  the  army 
is  at  Crown  Point,  and  part  is  at  this  place.  \Ve  are  repairing  this  Fort 
with  all  expedition,  and  the  rest  of  the  army  are  building  a  new  Fort 
at  Crown  Point.  We  hear  that  there  is  a  party  of  men  gone  to  lay 
out  a  road  to  No.  4  [now  Charlestown,  New  Hampshire].  The 
army  is  very  healthy,  and  our  company  are  well  that  are  at  this  place. 
So  I  conclude,  and  subscribe  myself  your  well-wishing  friend. 

HENRY  WOODS. 

In  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  June  13, 
1759,  there  is  — 

A  Petition  of  David  Sartweli  of  Groton,  in  the  County  of  Middle- 
sex, setting  forth  that  his  Son  Abel  Sartweli,  went  forth  in  the  Expe- 
dition against  Canada  the  last  Year;  that  near  Half-Way-Brook  (so 
called)  he  was  in  an  Engagement  with  the  Enemy,  and  killed  ;  that  his 
Gun  was  then  lost;  he  therefore  prays  the  Stoppage  may  be  taken 
off,  and  the  Treasurer  be  directed  to  allow  him  the  three  Pounds 
mentioned. 

Also  in  the  same  Journal,  March  30,  1761,  is — 

A  Petition  of  John  Erriu,  Junr.  of  Groton,  a  Soldier  in  the  Year 
1758,  setting  forth,  that  he  was  wounded  by  the  Enemy,  and  lost  his 
Gun,  praying  for  an  Allowance  for  his  Gun,  &c. 

In  the  muster-roll  of  the  company  his  name  appears  as 
Erwin. 


FRENCH    AND    INDIAN   WAR. 


163 


Interesting  papers,  relating  to  Captain  Lawrence's  company, 
are  now  in  the  possession  of  General  A.  Harleigh  Hill,  of 
Groton,  Vermont,  a  great-grandson  of  Captain  Wesson,  who 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  company  after  the  unfor- 
tunate affair  of  July  2O,  1758.  General  Hill  is  the  author  of 
the  chapter  on  "  The  History  of  the  Town  of  Groton,  in  Cale- 
donia County,"  which  appears  in  Miss  A.  M.  Hemenway's 
"  Vermont  Historical  Gazetteer,"  and  gives  many  interesting 
facts  about  that  town.  Some  of  its  early  settlers  were  natives 
of  Groton,  Massachusetts ;  and  it  was  through  them  that  the 
name  of  their  birthplace  was  carried  into  the  Green  Moun- 
tain country.  I  wish  to  acknowledge  my  obligations  to  Gen- 
eral Hill  for  his  kindness  and  courtesy,  not  only  in  furnishing 
copies  of  these  papers,  but  in  many  other  ways.  Owing  to 
the  want  of  space,  some  of  the  sub-headings  in  the  muster-roll 
and  in  the  two  "  Returns  "  of  the  men  enlisted  are  omitted 
in  this  printed  copy.  The  papers  are  as  follows :  - 

A  Muster-Roll  of  A.  Company  of  Foot  in  his  Majesty's  Service,  under 
the  Command  of  Captain  Thomas  Lawrence  from  March  13.  1758. 
to  July  20"' — Then  Captain  Ephraim  Wesson  to  November  30. 
1758,  in  A  Regiment  raised  by  the  Province  of  the  Massachusetts- 
Bay,  for  the  Reduction  of  Canada,  Whereof  EBENEZER  NICHOLS 
Esq.  is  Colonel  Viz. 


Men's  Names 

Qality 

Of  what 
Town 

Names  of  Fathers,  &  Mas- 
ters of  Sons  under  Age, 
&  Servants. 

Thomas  Lawrence  Esq 
Ephraim  Wesson     .     . 
Ditto  

Captain       .     . 
First  Lieut.     . 
Captain      .     . 
Secd  Lieut.     . 
First  Lieut 
Ensign  .     .     . 

Groton. 
PeppereH 

Westford. 
Groton. 
Groton. 

j 

Leonard  Spaulding  .     . 
Ditto  

Joseph  Far  we  11   .     .     . 
Ditto  .... 

Henry  Woods     .     .     . 
Ditto  

Serjant  .     . 
Ensign  .     .     . 
Second  Lut    . 

Ditto  

164 


FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


Men's  Names 

Qality 

Of  what 
Town 

Names  of  Fathers,  &  Mas- 
ters of  Sons  under  Age, 
&  Servants. 

Xathaniel  Lakin  .     .     . 

Serjant  . 

Pepperell 

Oliver  Wright      .     .     . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Westford 

Oliver  Lakin   .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton. 

Oliver  Parker  .... 

Corp!     .     .     . 

Groton. 

Ditto  

Serjant  . 

Ditto  

Ensign  .     .     . 

,, 

Nehemiah  Goold 

Corp!.    .     .     . 

No.  i. 

Simon  Gilson  .... 

Corp!.    .     .     . 

Pepperell 

Ephraim  Severance 

Corp!.    .     .     . 

Groton 

Moses  Sawtell     .     .     . 

Cent.      .     .     . 

Groton 

Ditto  

Corporal    . 

„ 

Ditto  

Serjant  .     .     . 

Oliver  Shattuck  . 

Cn.<.  .... 

Pepperell 

Ditto  

Serjant  . 

Eleazer  Spaulding   .     . 

Cent.      .     .     . 

Pepperill 

Ditto  . 

Serjant  . 

Joseph  Hartwell      .     . 

Cent.      .     .     . 

Westford 

Ditto  

Corp!.    .     .     . 

Simeon  Foster 

Cen<       .     .     . 

Groton 

Ditto  

Corp  ' 

David  Shattuck  .     .     . 

i 
Drumer      .     . 

Groton 

Eleazer  Ames      .     .     . 

Cen.'.      .     .     . 

Groton    .     . 

j  William     Lawrence 

Archelus  Adams      .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton 

I      his  Guardian. 

John  Boyden  .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton. 

Robart  Blood       .     .     . 
Aaron  Blood  .... 

Do  
Do.     ... 

Pepperell 
Westford     . 

(  Ephraim     Chandler 
|      his  Guardian. 

Josiah  Butterfield    .     . 

Do.     ... 

Westford     . 

Josiah  Butterfield. 

Moses  Blood  .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Pepperell. 

John  Chamberlain  .     . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Pepperell. 

Joel  Crosby     .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Westford     . 

\  Son  in  law  to  Andw 
(      Spaulding. 

Daniel  Douglass      .     . 

Do.    .     .     . 

Groton    . 

(  Servant      to      Isael 

s 

(       Hobart. 

John  Erwin     .... 

Cent..         .     . 

Groton    .     . 

John  Erwin 

James  Fisk     .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton    . 

James  Fisk 

Oliver  Farnsworth  .     . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton 

Stephen  Foster   .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton 

William  Farnsworth    . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Pepperell 

Eleazer  Fisk  .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Pepperell 

Benjamin  Farmer    . 

Do 

Westford 

FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


I65 


Men's  Names 

Qality 

Names  of  Fathers,  &  Mas- 
ters of  Sons  under  Age, 
Town                 &  Servants. 

Daniel  Gilson      .     .     . 

Cent.      .     .     . 

Groton. 

John  Gragg     .... 

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton.  . 

Jacob  Gragg 

.Moses  Goold  .... 

Do.     . 

Lunenburg 

Ephraim  Hall      .     .     . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Pepperell 

Joseph  Kemp      .     .     . 

Do.     .     . 

Groton    .     . 

Sam"  Kemp  Jum" 

Silas  Kemp  

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton    .     .       Hezekiah  Kemp 

Stephen  Kemp    .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell    .    j  Servant  to  Edmund 

Simon  Lakin  .... 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell         (      Ba»croft- 

Simeon  Nutting  .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell 

Isaac  Nutting      .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

Isaac  Nutting 

Benjamin  Nutting    .     . 

Do.     ... 

Westford    . 

Joseph  Nutting 

John  Nutting  .     ,     .     . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Groton    .     . 

John  Nutting 

Eleazer  Parker    .     .     . 

Do.     . 

Groton    .     . 

(  Under  ye  Care  of  the 

(      Select  Men 

Joseph  Page    .... 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

Joseph  Page 

William  Parker  .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

William  Parker 

Obediah  Perry     .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton. 

Stephen  Peirce    .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

Stephen  Peirce 

Jonathan  Phelps  .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton. 

Nathaniel  Parker     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell     . 

Nathan1   Parker 

Leonard  Parker  .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    . 

Leonard  Parker 

Benjamin  Richardson  . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Westford 

David  Shattuck  jr   .     . 

Do.     .     .     . 

Pepperell 

Abel  Sawtell  .... 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

David  Sawtell 

Jonathan  Sheple  .    .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

(  James  Prescott  Esq 

(      his  guardian 

Lemuel  Sheple    .     .     . 

Do.    .     .     . 

Groton    .     . 

(  James  Prescott  Esq 

(      his  Guardian 

Joseph  Sawtell    . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

j  Samuel  Tarbell  his 

1      Guardian 

Thomas  Shattuck     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell. 

Thomas  Scott      .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell     . 

John  Scott 

Benjamin  Shattuck  .     . 

Do.     ... 

Pepperell 

Josiah  Sheple      .     .     . 

Do.     .     .     .     Groton. 

Nathan  Wesson  .     .     . 

Do.     ...    Wilmington     \  Son  to  Stephen  Wes- 

i      son 

Zachariah  \Villis 

Do.     .     .     . 

Westford    .    J  Servent     to     Philip 

(      Robins 

Benjamin  Woods     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Groton    .     . 

Son  to  John  Wroods 

Simon  Wheeler  .     .     . 

Do.     ... 

Westford 

1 66 


FRENCH    AND    INDIAN   WAR. 


.-/  Return  of  men  Inlisted  for  his  majestys  Service  in  the  intended 
Expedition  against  Canada  1758 


Names  of  the  fathers 

Mens  Names 

Where 
born 

in  what  Company 

In  what  Rigement    Jt 

of  Sons  under  age 
and  masters  of  Ser- 

vants 

Arch  al  us  Adams 

Newbury 

Colo  Charles  Prescott 

Cols  Elisha  Jones  25 

John  Nutting 
Simon  Gilson 
Eleazer  Fisk 

Groton 
Groton 
Groton 

Capt.  Jerh  Shattuck 
Capt  Jer''  Shattuck 
Capt  Jerh  Shattuck 

Col  oliver  Wilder     20 
Col.  oliver  Wilder   27 
Col.  oliver  Wilder   26 

Son    to  John  Nut- 
ting Jun 

Leonard  Parker 

Groton 

Capt.  John  Bulkley 

Col"    Wilder             16 

Son  to  Leonard  Par- 
ker 

The  above  Written  is  a  True  acct  of  all  the  men  by  me  Inlisted  for 
his  Majestys  Service  in  the  Expedition  now  Carrying  on  against 
Canada  in  a  Company  to  be  comanded  by  Capt  Thomas  La\vrance  in 
Col°  Ebenezer  Nichols's  Ridgiment 

JOSEPH  FARWELL 
GROTON  Apriel  ye  15th  1758 

A  List  of  the  Men  that  I  Have  Listed  for  Canada  <&c     /Domini 

1758 

Simon  Larkin  [Lakin] 

Silas  Kemp 

Isaac  Nutting  Junr 

Jonath.  Phelps  in  the  Rume  of  Simon  Ames  of  Groton 

Natha  Parker  Junr 

Robert  Blood 

William  Farnsworth 

Oliver  Shattuck  in  the  Rume  Soloman  Shattuck  of  Pepperrell 

John  Chamberlin  in  the  Rume  of  Peter  Thursten  of  Pepperrell 

Nathan  Wesson 

Thomas  Shattuck 

Thos  Scott 

Stephen  Kemp 

Eleazer  Spoulding  in  the  Rume  of  Joel  Parkhtirst  of  Dunstable 

Stephen  Foster 

"$   EPHRAIM  WESSON  Lev1 


FRENCH    AND   INDIAN    WAR. 


167 


GROTON  April  15th  1758 

This  may  Certifie  whome  it  may  concerne  that  the  above  named 
Soldiers  were  this  day  mustered  &  passed  Before  me 

WILLIAM  LAWRANCE  1 1  ,u 

j  Master 

A  Return    of  the.    Men    Enlisted  for   his    Majesty's   service   in    t/ie 
intended  expidition  against  Canada,   1758 


Names 

Where  boni 

In  what  Company.                 Jo 

< 

Time  of 
Service. 

Simon  Larkm    . 

Groton,  . 

Capt.  Jeremiah  Shattuck,  42 

March  30. 

Silas  Kemp,  . 

Groton,   . 

Capt.  James  Prescott,     .  i  16 

March  30. 

Isaac  Nutting  jr 

Groton,  . 

do.    John  Bulkley     .     .  i  19 

March  30. 

Jonathan  Phelps,    . 

Andover, 

do.    John  Bulkley     .     .    31 

March  30. 

Nathan  Wesson, 

Wilmington 

do.    Thomas  Pierce,     .     18 

March  30. 

Thomas  Shattuck  . 

Groton,  .     . 

Cap  J.  Shattuck,     ...    22 

March  31* 

Nathaniel  Parker,  . 

Groton,   .     . 

„  J.  Shattuck,     ...     19 

April  3.' 

Ebenezer  Spaulding 

Groton,   .     . 

Capt  Oliver  Coburn,  .     .    24 

April  3.' 

Stephen  Foster, 

Chelmsford 

Cap.  John  Bulkley  ...    23 

April  4. 

Robert  Blood     .     . 

Groton,  .     . 

Capt  J.  Shattuck    ...    27 

April  5. 

Wm  Farnsworth     . 

Groton,   . 

„     J.  Shattuck    ...    21 

April  5. 

Oliver  Shattuck 

Groton,   . 

„     J.  Shattuck    ...    27 

April  5. 

Thomas  Scott,  .     . 

Groton,  '. 

„     J.  Shattuck    ...     19 

April  5. 

Stephen  Kemp,  .     . 

Groton,   .     . 

„    J.  Shattuck    ...     17 

April  5. 

John  Chamberlain  . 

Groton,  .     . 

Capt  J.  Shattuck    ...    36 

April  10. 

The  above  written  contains  a  true  account  of  the  men  that  I  have 
Enlisted  for  his  Majesty's  service  in  the  intended  expedition  against 
Canada,  in  a  Company  to  be  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas 
Lawrence,  to  be  in  Colonel  Ebenezer  Nichols1  Regiment 

EPHRAIM  WESSON. 
PEPPEREL,  Aprill  ye  15th  1758. 

N.  HAMPTON  June  2d    1758 

SIR  You  are  to  repair  to  Hadley  and  there  wait  for  Col°  Nichols  ; 
arrival  that  you  may  give  him  an  Ac'  of  the  Spare  Blankets  of  the 
Regiments  which  were  left  there  at  Mr  Oliver  Smiths.  If  he  doth  not 
come  by  the  fourtenth  Intant,  you  are  directed  to  Join  the  Regiment, 
by  the  first  Opportunity 

I  am  your  Friend  J?  CU.MING 

To  Liu'  Eph'"  Wesson 


1 68  FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 

By  his  Excelencys  Command  to  Captain  Tho"  Lawrancc. 

You  are  hereby  Directed  to  Colect  the  men  In  your  company  with- 
out Delay  and  prepare  a  list  of  them  &  the  number  of  arms  your  men 
will  take  of  their  own. 

From  the  day  they  are  collected  till  they  arive  at  Worcester  where 
the  Kings  J 'revisions,  will  be  delivered  out  to  the  Regiments  you  are 
to  take  care  that  your  men  are  Victualed  as  Follows  —  that  is  Sixpence 
Pr  day  Sterling  &  no  more,  you  are  to  take  care  they  dont  Exceed 
that  and  also  Such  a  part  for  each  meal  as  to  take  the  whole  of  sd  Six- 
pence for  the  day.  you  are  to  acquaint  the  Taverners  :  accordingly 
you  are  to  deliver  s'1  Taverners,  a  list  of  the  names,  &  the  N"  of  the 
men  Ware  Supplied  at  So  much  Pr  Meal  and  this  list  with  the  certificate 
shall  be  the  Taverners  Voucher  to  his  accompt  to  be  laid  before  the 
Governor  &  Council  for  their  Passing  upon  it  and  granting  warenty 
for  the  payment  of  the  same. 

You  are  to  take  Particular  Care  that  no  Straglers  be  left  behind  — 
you  are  further  Directed  to  Use  the  utmost  of  your  Endevers  that  one 
quarter  of  your  men  Provide  their  own  arms  — 

EBENR  NICHALS 

An  account  of  the  arms  that  Cap*.  Lanrance  and  his  men  had  of  their 
own  that  was  lost  in  the  fight  at  the  half  way  brook   July  the  2  o"1 

1758 

the  guns  Lost  the  kings  arms 

Cap!  Laurance  i  Serg1  oliver  Lakin  i 

Serg'.  oliver  wright  i  Corp!  Nehemiah  Goold  i 

Simon  wheeler  i  Stephen  foster  i 

Eleazer  Ames  i  Abel  Sawtell  i 

Joel  Crosby  i 

Total  4 

Total  5 

The  two  papers  here  given  refer  to  the  expedition  against 
Crown  Point :  — 

GROTON  June  yc    25"  1755 

Rec'1  of  Lieut  Ephraim  Wesson  Six  pounds  Seven  Shilings  and 
three  pence  old  tenor  as  Subsistance  to  albaney  each  of  us  are  soldiers 
to  Crown  Point. 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR.  169 

Jonas  Woods  Japtha  Richardson 

Isaac  Patch  Isaac  Wesson 

Isaac  Patch  junr  Zacha  Wilthe  [Withee] 

Jonathan  Foster  Nathaniel  Nutting 

his  John  Trowbridge 

Simeon  X  Foster  Jonathan  Green 

mark 

his 

Joseph  X  Denow 
mark 

A  List  of  the  names  that  are  inlisted  for  the  Expedison  to  Crown  Point 
into  Capt  Reeds  Compeney  by  me  Ephraim  Wesson  • 

Isaac  Patch  Zacriah  Wethe  [Withee] 

Isaac  Patch  Junr  Isaac  Wesson 

Jonathan  Green  Nathaniel  Wesson 

John  Hobart  Japtha  Richardson 

Jonathan  Foster  Joseph  Denoro 

Semeon  Foster  John  Trobridge 

Jonas  Woods  John  Shipley 

Nathaniel  Shatuck  Nathaniel  Nutting 

The  following  letter  was  written  by  Colonel  William  Law- 
rence to  the  Honorable  Spencer  Phips,  at  that  time  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  province.  Colonel  Lawrence 
was  then  in  command  of  the  soldiers  stationed  along  the 
frontiers  in  this  neigborhood.  The  letter  was  dated  a  few 
weeks  before  the  Battle  of  Lake  George,  a  period  of  great 
excitement  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  border  towns. 
Lieutenant  Lawrence,  who  is  mentioned,  was  a  younger 
brother  of  the  writer :  — 

May  it-  Please  your  Honour 

I  had  Desired  Lieu'  Lawrence  to  order  a  Scout  to  Pequage  [Athol] 
before  I  Reef  your  Honours  Letter  which  he  had  Done  &  from  thence 
to  Northfield  tho  none  was  Placed  at  Pequage  but  in  as  much  as  Pe- 
quage Does  not  appear  more  Exposed  to  the  Enemy  if  so  much  as 
several  other  Places  between  y?  rivers  merimack  and  Connetticut  that 
are  within  this  Province  and  I  apprehending  your  honour  might  not  be 


1/0  FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR. 

So  well  acquainted  with  the  Curcomstances  of  those  Frontiers  I  Did 
not  order  y:  Lieu!  to  Place  but  ten  men  at  Pequage  for  if  fifteen  had 
been  sent  there  other  places  must  have  been  left  so  naked  that  no 
Scouting  Could  have  been  Done  which  I  am  sencable  was  y:  Courts 
Disigne  —  but  if  what  I  have  ordered  Should  not  be  agreeable  I 
should  be  Glad  to  know  your  Honours  mind.  I  find  it  is  Difficult  to 
satisfie  the  People  with  so  few  men  in  so  long  a  Frontier  but  shall 
take  yf  best  Care  I  Can  so  far  as  I  am  concern1'  to  give  orders  for 
Every  thing  to  be  Done  that  your  Honour  Shall  think  best  but  if  Pos- 
sible I  think  best  to  keep  out  all  y;'  new  plantations  in  this  Province 
but  I  am  afraid  that  thirty  men  is  not  sufficient.  So  with  Great 
Regard,  I  remain  your  Honours  most  Humble  and  obedient  Servant 
to  Command. 

WILLIAM  LAWRAXCE 

GROTON  July  y?  29:  1755 
To  y?  Hon^le  Spencer  Phips  Esqr.e 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  LIV.  521.] 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1755  that  the  territory  of  Acadia, 
or  Nova  Scotia,  fell  under  British  authority;  and  the  con- 
quest was  followed  by  a  terrible  act  of  cruelty  and  violence. 
The  simple  Acadians,  unsuspicious  of  the  designs  of  the 
English  leaders,  were  assembled  in  their  churches,  in  obe- 
dience to  military  proclamation;  and  thence,  without  being 
allowed  to  return  to  their  homes,  were  driven  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet  on  board  ships,  to  be  scattered  over  all 
the  English  colonies  in  America.  This  was  done  with  so 
little  regard  to  humanity  that,  in  many  instances,  wives 
were  separated  from  husbands,  and  children  from  parents, 
never  to  see  one  another  again.  It  \vas  upon  an  incident 
connected  with  this  act  of  tyranny  that  Longfellow's  poem 
of  Evangeline  is  founded.  T\vo  of  the  French  families, 
ten  persons  in  all,  were  sent  to  Groton,  where  one  of  the 
mothers  died,  not  many  months  after  her  arrival,  perhaps 
from  the  rude  transplanting.  A  few  years  later  an  Acadian 
family  is  mentioned  as  living  here ;  but  the  household  had 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR.  171 

become  divided,  some  of  the  little  children  being  sent  to  the 
neighboring  towns.  Our  pity  for  these  unfortunate  people 
will  be  stronger  when  we  reflect  that  they  were  miserably 
poor,  —  among  a  race  who  spoke  a  strange  language,  followed 
other  customs,  and  abominated  their  religion.  Under  these 
circumstances  their  homesickness  must  indeed  have  been 
bitter ;  but  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  they  were  treated 
with  tender  care  by  the  people  here.  We  learn  from  the 
records  that  they  were  furnished  with  medical  attendance,  and 
articles  necessary  for  their  bodily  comfort. 

Many  interesting  papers  bearing  on  this  subject  are  found 
among  the  Archives  at  the  State  House,  in  the  two  volumes 
marked  "  French  Neutrals,"  as  these  people  were  sometimes 
called.  The  following  documents  are  there  given :  — 

The  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay      D' 
To  the  Town  of  Groton  for  Keeping  Ten  Franch  Persons  and 

findeing  them  many  Nesecareyes  for  thare  Support  when  many  of 

them  Ware  Sick  &c. 

Begining  the  2 Is.1  of  May  AD  1756.     To  Jan?'  ye  6'.h  1757 

F1  James  Prescott  Esqr  as  by  his  Accoc  ;£o     600 

F1  Mr.  Benj"  Stone  o  16     4     o 

F1  Mr.  Sam!1  Bowers  for  Provisions  &c  i    1 7     7     o 
Pd  Barnibus  Mach  Charril  and  others  for  a  Lume  Wheels 

and  Tacklin  about  sd  Lume  112  o  o 
P?  to  John  Sheple  for  moveing'  them  and  for  Pro- 
visions &c  0480 
Pi1  John  Page  for  Sundreys  &c  0122 
Pd  Amos  Lawrence  for  Provisions  &c  0200 
F1  Mrs  Isaac  Woods  for  Pork  and  Syder  &c  11200 
P?  Cap!  Tho*  Tarbell  for  Milk  and  Meat  &c  0780 
Pd  Jacob  Grag  for  Syder  milk  &  Wood  Carting  &c  2003 
F1  Abraham  Wheeler  for  Provisions  &c  0520 
P'1  James  Stone  for  Meal  0180 
P?  Nathl1  Parker  for  Wood  &  House  Rent  o  10  o  o 


[Amount  carried  forward  £7   16     4      i] 


1  72 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


\_Amount  brought  forward  £7   16     4      i] 

P.'  Doctr  Oliver  Prescott  for  Doctering  them  2560 

Pd  Josiah  Sartell  for  Suger  Rum  &  Molasses  &  Peas  0770 
Pd  LeH   William  Nutting  for   House  Rent  and  other 

things  that  He  provided  for  them  2   13     4     o 
Pd  the  Wid°  Elizabeth  Sheple  for  what  she  Did  for  the 

franc h  and  Provisions  £c  0800 


JAMES  PRESCOTT 
AMOS  LAWRENCE 
?  STONE 


short  of  is  p  week 


[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXIII.  306.] 


THO  TARBELL 
JOSIAH  SARTELL 


I0     9 

Selm 

for 

Groton 


The  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay     Dr 

To  The  Town  of  Groton  from  Jan?1  ye  20"'  1757  to  This  Day  for 
Supporting  the  two  franch  famileys  in  sd  Town  £c  being  ten  in 
Number 

P.d  BenjP  Lawrence  for  Wood 

Pd  Isreal  Hobart  for  Wood  &  Milk  &c 

P.1  sd  Hobart  for  more  Wood  meat  &  Salt 

Pd  Doc'.r  Oliver  Prescott  for  them 

Pd  Doc"  Oliver  Prescott  for  meats 

P:1  Isreal  Hobart  for  malts  &  Wood  &  milk 

P.d  sd  Hobart  for  House  Rent  &  Milk 

Pd  Josiah  Sartell  for  Rum  molasses  &  Sugar  when  sick  at 

Sundrey  Times  and  Wood 
Pd  John  Ames  for  removeing  the  franch 
also  one  ax  Provided  for  them 

Totall  £-;   13     9     o 

By  Order  of  the  Select  men  of  sd  Town  Groton  Sep'.  ye  2d,  i  75  7 

JOSIAH  SARTELL 

Since  the  aboue  was  Paid  for  the  franch  &c  we  have  Paid  out  in 
October  Last  for  thare  further  Support  in  Life  and  for  Buring  one  of 


x>° 

I 

4 

0 

I 

6 

i 

o 

o 

14 

8 

o 

0 

4 

i 

o 

I 

8 

o 

- 

o 

9 

4 

I 

3 

4 

I 

18 

3 

o 

o 

2 

8 

o 

o 

6 

o 

FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR.  173 

the  mens  wife  and  findeing  funariel  things  &c     the  whole  Sum  To  Israel 
Hobart  which  is  jCl    19     9     2 

Pd  Abel  Lawrence  for  Diging  the  Grave  &  0280 

P?  Docter  Oliver  Prescott  for  Vesn.  &  Medicins  o     8   1 1     o 


211     4     2 

?  This  By  Order  of  the  Selectmen  of  sd  Town  Novr 
ye  22*  1757  7  T3     9     ° 


a  little  above  6ce  p  week  total  10     5     i     2 

p  JOSIAH  SARTELL 
[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXIII.  461.] 

On  the  back  of  the  paper  is  written :  — 
Warn1  Advisd  Decr  6.  1757 

In  the  report  of  a  Committee,  dated  April  18,  1761,  ap- 
pointed by  the  General  Court  to  distribute  French  Neutrals 
among  the  towns  of  Middlesex  County,  it  is  stated  that  they 
have  assigned  to  — 

Groton  Rain  Bobbin  [aged]  37 

Marg'  his  wife  39 

John  his  son  13 

Matturen  D°  1 1 

Joseph  D°  8 

Eliz  5  weeks 

Pepperil  Marg'  Marshal  18 

Mary  Bobbin  daug'  of  Rain  Bobbin  3 

Townsend  Paul  Oliver  Bobbin  7 

Peter  Bobbin  son  to  Rain  Bobbin  of  Groton  5 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXIV.  468.] 

The  surname,  perhaps,  is  spelled  wrong,  as  people  in  those 
days  were  not  used  to  writing  foreign,  wojds ;  very  likely  it 
should  have  been  Beaubien.  The/emomal  authorities  showed 
but  little  humanity  when  they  took  away  these  small  children 
from  their  mother  and  put  them  in  different  towns.  Other 


174 


FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


families  were  sent  at  the  same  time   to  Dunstable,  Westford, 
and  Littleton. 

Many  Groton  men  were  in  the  expedition  sent  against  Nova 
Scotia,  which  brought  away  these  poor  French  families.  The 
Journal  of  Colonel  John  Winslow,  the  commander  of  the  ex- 
pedition, in  three  folio  volumes,  containing  copies  of  the  vari- 
ous muster-rolls  of  his  command,  is  preserved  in  the  library  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  The  force  was  made 
up  of  two  battalions,  and  each  battalion  had  a  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  two  majors.  It  appears  that  each  of  the  field- 
officers  commanded  a  company,  or  had  one  called  by  his 
name ;  and  there  was  one  known  as  Governor  Shirley's 
Company.  The  muster-rolls  have  a  common  heading,  dated 
"Bason  of  Annapolis  Royal  Nova  Scotia  May  28"'  1755." 
From  the  Journal  I  gather  the  following  names  of  soldiers, 
either  natives  or  residents  of  this  town,  who  took  part  in'  the 
affair :  — 


LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  JOHN  WINSLOW'S  COMPANY. 

Men's  Names  Station        Age     Place  of  Birth     Last  residence    Occupation 


Abiel  Parker 
Gideon  Parker 
Samson  Blood 
John  Lakers  [Lakin  ?] 
Gabriel  Lakers      „ 
Nath11  Ballard 
John  Gilson 


Sergeant 
Private 


Groton 


Groton         Labourer 


Isaac  Holden 
Joseph  Fairwell 
Thomas  Woods 
Sam!  Sartwell 
Johnathan  Goold 
Josiah  Williams 
Asa  Holden 
John  Sherrin 
W™  Holden 
Jonas  Green 
Ephr1."  Parker 


Framingham 
Groton 


CAPTAIN  HUMPHREY  HOBBS'S  COMPANY. 


Sergeant 
Private 


Groton  Groton         Labourer 


Luninburg 
Groton 

Boxford 
Bloody  point 
Groton 


Shirley 
Groton 


Taner 

Cooper 

Labourer 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


'75 


CAPTAIN  HUMPHREY  HOBBS'S  COMPANY  —  Concluded. 

Men's  Names 

Station 

Age 

Place  of  Birth 

Last  residence 

Occupation 

Sam!   Bason 

Private 

2O 

Townsend 

Groton 

Cordwr 

Silas  Parker 

„ 

18 

Groton 

„ 

Labourer 

Amasa  Gilson 

„ 

20 

„ 

„ 

„ 

Solomon  Gilson 

„ 

18 

„ 

„ 

„ 

Jacob  Nutten 
Jon?  Holclen 
Elijah  Robins 
Benj?   Robins 
Nathan  Whipple 

" 

28 
18 
23 

22 
22 

'• 

»t 

Westford 
Groton 

Cordwinder 
Labourer 
Sadler 

CAPTAIN  THOMAS 

OSGOOD'S  COMPANY. 

Phineas  Kemp 
Phineas  Parker 

Private 

24 
21 

Groton 

Bellerica 
Littleton 

Husbandman 

Sam"  Green 

„ 

22 

,, 

Metford 

Cordwainer 

LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  GEORGE  SCOTT'S  COMPANY. 


Will111  Saunderson 
Aaron  Davis 
John  Burt 
Josiah  Boyden 


Drum^         19  Groton  Groton  Farmer 

Private        23  „  Harwidck  Carpenter 

„  20  „  „  Fanner 

20  Groton 


CAPTAIN  PHINEAS  STEPHENS'S  COMPANY. 


Benja  Gilson 
Charles  Riev 


Private 


20 

22 


Groton 


Hinsdale 
Keen 


Husbandman 


CAPTAIN  ABIJAH  WILLARD'S  COMPANY. 


Will"  Bart 

Private 

28 

Groton 

Harvard 

Labourer 

Jonathan  Cressey 
Jonah  Chamberlain 
Nehemiah  Gould 

" 

25 
25 

21 

" 

Groton 

" 

Nehemiah  How 

„ 

21 

TJ 

}} 

Samuel  Martin 
Joseph  Paterson 
David  Saunders 
Lemuel  Turner 

,, 

IS 

25 
19 

18 

Lunenburgh 
Groton 

Lancaster 

Cooper 
Labourer 

Nath1  Turner 

„ 

18 

tj 

„ 

„ 

Zachariah  Tarball 

» 

22 

" 

Lunenburgh 

» 

CAPTAIN  EPHRAIM 

JONES'S  COMPANY. 

Isaac  Green 
Ezekiel  Brown 
Moses  Woods 

Serjant 
Corporal 

39 
34 
45 

Groton 
Concord 
Groton 

Groton 
Pepperrell 

Yeoman 

FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


CAPTAIN 

EPIIRAIM  JONES'S  COMPANY 

—  Concluded. 

Men's  Names 

Station        Age 

Place  of  birth 

Last  residence 

Occupation 

Will"1  Spaulding 

Corporal     23 

Groton 

Pe])perrell 

Yeoman 

Abraham  Boyenton 

Private        42 

„ 

Groton 

Husbandman 

Oliver  Elliote 

„                  20 

„ 

Pepperrell 

Yeoman 

Sam"  Fisk 

24 

„ 

,, 

Cooper 

Nathan  Fisk 

24 

„ 

„ 

,, 

Jonas  Fletcher 

25 

Weston 

Groton 

Labourer 

Jabez  Kempt 

18 

Groton 

Pepperrel 

,, 

John  Kemp 

23 

„ 

„ 

Husbandman 

Oliver  Kemp 

19 

„ 

„ 

Labourer 

Hezekiah  Kemp 

17 

„ 

Groton 

„ 

Simon  Lakin 

42 

„ 

Pepperrel 

Yeoman 

Simon  Lakin  Jun° 

1  8 

„ 

„ 

Labourer 

George  Lessley 

19 

„ 

Hollis 

„ 

John  Nutting 

17 

„ 

Groton 

„ 

Will"'  Shed 

1  8 

„ 

Pepperrel 

„ 

Job  Shattuck 

18 

„ 

Groton 

„ 

Nath1   Savtell 

17 

Boston 

„ 

Husbandman 

Eleaz1:  Spaulding 

„                  21 

Groton 

Pepperrell 

Yeoman 

Jon?  Stevens 

17 

„ 

i, 

Labourer 

Isaac  Williams 

„                  22 

„ 

,, 

Yeoman 

David  Wright 

19 

„ 

„ 

Cordwainer 

Jona  Woods 

39 

„ 

„ 

Yeoman 

Eleazr   Wipple 

„                  20 

,, 

„ 

Labourer 

Josiah  Wright 

17 

„ 

.» 

„ 

Isaac  Robins 


CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  GILBERT'S  COMPANY. 
Private        40         Groton  Stow 


Joyner 


During  the  latter  part  of  this  war  some  of  the  soldiers  — 
I  think  it  was  one  half — were  supplied  with  bayonets,  and 
known  as  "  bayonet-men."  At  the  State  House  are  found 
the  lists  of  such  as  belonged  to  the  two  Groton  companies. 
They  are  now  of  considerable  interest,  as  showing  some  of 
the  men  who  did  military  duty  in  that  eventful  period.  The 
lists  are  dated  December  19,  1758.  These  names  are  largely 
represented  in  the  families  living  in  the  town  at  the  present 
day. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  the  bayonet-men  who  belonged 
to  Captain  John  Bulkley's  company :  — 


FRENCH   AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


177 


Stephen  Peirce,  Sergeant, 

Ephraim  Severance,  Corporal, 

Peter  Parker,  Corporal, 

Lemuel  Parker, 

David  Shattuck, 

Jonathan  Peirce, 

Shattuck  Blood, 

Jacob  Nutting, 

Jacob  Gragg,  Jr., 

Jeremiah  Shattuck, 

Ephraim  Nutting,  Jr., 

Benjamin  Green, 

Oliver  Lakin, 

Josiah  Sheple, 


Simeon  Foster, 
Caleb  Blood, 
Jonathan  Pratt, 
Peter  Gilson, 
John  Erwin, 
Nathaniel  Woods,  Jr., 
Nehemiah  Turner, 
Seth  Phillips, 
Nehemiah  Trowbridge, 
John  Woods,  Jr., 
Jonathan  Gilson, 
Jonathan  Phelps, 
Nathaniel  Lawrence,  3d. 


On  the  back  of  the  paper  are  given  the  names  also  of 
Sergeant  Reuben  Woods  and  Jonathan  Sheple,  Jr. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  the  bayonet-men  in  Captain 
James  Prescott's  company :  - 


Joseph  Page,  Sergeant, 
Timothy  Moors,  Corporal, 
John  Stone, 
Isaac  Farnsworth, 
Isaiah  Holden, 
Ebenezer  Farnsworth, 
Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  Jr., 
Joseph  Medcalf, 
John  Archable, 
Nathan  Whiple, 
David  Tarble, 
David  Sawtell,  Jr., 
Abijah  Warren, 
Silas  Parker  Barron, 


Joseph  Page,  Jr., 
David  Brown, 
Jonathan  Stone, 
Obadiah  Sawtell, 
Ebenezer  Kemp, 
Ebenezer  Hartwell, 
Nathaniel  Stone, 
Jonas  Stone, 
Joshua  Holden, 
Jonathan  Addems, 
David  Sawtell, 
William  Parker,  Jr., 
Elisha  Rockwood,  Jr. 
Oliver  Farwell. 


The  names  also  of  Sergeant  Elisha  Rockwood,  Corporal 
Abel  Lawrence,  and  Ephraim  Sawtell,  Jr.,  appear  in  another 
place  on  the  same  paper. 


FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


Joseph  Longley,  of  Groton,  —  a  sjon  of  John,  who  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  in  July,  1694,  —  was  mortally 
wounded  at  the  siege  of  Fort  William  Henry,  in  August, 
1758.  His  son,  Joseph,  Jr.,  also  served,  as  a  very  young 
man,  during  one  year  of  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and 
subsequently  with  great  credit  during  five  years  of  the  Revo- 
lution. The  son  died  at  Hawley,  Massachusetts,  July  8,  1836, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years. 

According  to  the  inscription  on  the  monument  to  the 
memory  of  Captain  Abram  Child,  in  the  old  burying-ground, 
he  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  served 
under  General  Amherst  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point  during  the  summer  of  1759. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 


THE  following  papers  are  found  among  the  files  of  the 
Middlesex  County  Court,  at  East  Cambridge,  in  the  bundle 
marked  "  1659  April  5."  They  appear  to  be  in  the  nature 
of  promissory  notes,  and  are  in  the  handwriting  of  John 
Tinker,  who  a  few  months  later  had  from  the  government  a 
monopoly  to  trade  with  the  Indians  at  Groton  and  Lancas- 
ter. My  attention  was  called  to  them  by  Henry  Stedman 
Nourse,  Esq.,  of  Lancaster,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  the 
copies.  Petobawok  and  Petapowok  are  different  forms  of 
Petaupaukett  —  the  Indian  name  of  Groton.  Cattaconamak 
and  Catacomumok  are  other  forms  of  Catacoonamug,  and 
apply  to  the  tract  of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Shirley. 
There  is  a  Catacoonamug  Brook  in  that  town.  Boundary 
lines  between  places  were  never  distinctly  marked  by  the  In- 
dians, but  left  indefinite.  The  expression  "  in  foure  moones  " 
evidently  means  four  months ;  but  I  am  in  doubt  in  regard 
to  that  of  "  2  hunting  times:  "  — 

These  j>rsents  testefieth  That  wee  James  Indian  otherwise  called 
Quagnisheman  of  Cattaconamak  :  Nomahnacomak  of  Petobawok  and 


ISO  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

Mahmachecomak  of  Cataconamak  do  acknovvledg  ourselves  to  owe 
and  to  be  indebted  unto  John  Tinker  the  sume  of  twenty  five  pounds 
and  ten  shillings  at  the  Rates  of  six  a  peny  vvompom.  to  be  give  to 
him  the  said  John  Tinker  his  kindred  frends  or  whome  evr  he  shall 
Appoynt,  the  one  halfe  therof  in  foure  moones  in  good  beaver  at  prises 
as  all  marchants  give,  and  the  other  halfe  in  nine  moneths  in  like  good 
beaver  at  like  prices  at  his  house  at  Petapowak,  and  for  the  good  per- 
farmanc  thereof  we  binde  ourselves  and  either  of  us.  our  kindred 
frends  and  all  we  have,  In  Wittness  whereof  we  the  said  James, 
Nomanacomak  and  Mahmacheckomok  have  hereunto  sett  our  markes 
dated  febr  13"'  1656—  Signed  by  James  and  Nomanacomak  in  the 
g'sents  of 

RICHARD  SMITH  the  mark  CM  of 

JOHN     X  V   WHITCUM  JAMES  INDIAN 

his  mark 

Signed  by  MAMACHECOMAK  in  the  the  mark  X   of 

<grsents  of  ROBERT  BLOOD  NOMANACOMAK 

the  mark   ;?  W  of  the  mark  X   of 

JOHN  WHITCOM  MAMACHECOMAK 

This  within  said  Engagement  is  againe  owned  and  Consented  to  and 
Confirmed,  and  delivered  as  theire  act  and  deed  at  the  house  of  Jn° 
Tinker  in  Lancaster  the  i8th  :  12'"°:  1657  and  do  agree  all  shall  be 
paid  in  2  hunting  times  after  this  date,  at  least  — 

ddy  [delivery?]  in  the  <gsents  of  us 

JACOB  FFARER 
JOHN     (2    WHITCOMB  Jun 
his  marke 

These  prsents  testefieth  That  wee  Wamscahacetts  and  mamacheco- 
mak  of  Cattacomumok  and  Nomanacomak  of  Petapowok  do  herby 
acknoledg  to  be  indebted  to  John  Tinker  of  Petapowok  the  sume  of 
Twenty  one  pounds  thirteen  shillings  which  is  fourskore  &  six  fadum 
and  three  shillings  at  6  wompoms  a  peny  and  five  shillings  a  faddum 
to  be  paid  to  the  said  John  Tinker,  or  his  Kindred  or  frends  which  he 
shall  apoynt,  one  halfe  thereof  in  foure  mounethes  and  the  other  halfe 
in  ten  moneths  and  to  the  true  performance,  or  to  be  well  paid  wee 
Wamscahacet  —  Mamachecomak  &  Nomanacomok  do  binde  ourselves 


MISCELLANEOUS   MATTERS.  l8l 

and  either  of  us  our  kindred  and  Trends  and  all  that  we  have,  to  make 
it  good,  wittness  our  markes  dated  :  febr  14th  1656 

Signed  by  the  mark  X   of  MAMACHECOMAK 

MAMACHECOMAK  and  the  mark  X  of  NOMANACOMAK 

NOMANACOMAK  in  the  £  sents  of     the  mark  'N^   of  WAMSCAHACET 

ROBERT  BLOOD 
the  2  W  mark  of 

JOHN  WHITCOM 

This  within  said  Engagement  is  againe  consented  to,  acknoledged 
and  Confirmed  by  the  within  said  Womscahacett,  Nomanacomack 
and  Mamachecamak  by  owning  it  and  delivering  of  it  as  their  act  and 
deed,  only  they  agree  amongst  themselves  that  Nomanacomek  shall 
pay  one  of  the  skins,  mahanuet  one.  &  James  two,  and  Womscahacet 
sixteen 

ddy  At  the  house  of  Jno.  Tinker  in  Lancaster  18  :   i2mo  :   1657 
In  the  presents  of  us 

JACOB  FFARER 
JOHN     2    WHITCOMB  Junr 
his  mark 

The  following  entry  in  the  Records  (I.  174)  of  the  Middle- 
sex County  Court,  April  5,  1659,  appears  to  be  connected 
with  this  transaction :  — 

Nanamakamucke,  mamakekummuk  Indians,  appearing  wth  an  In- 
dian Interpreter  before  the  Court,  do  acknowledge  a  Judgmen)  of  forty 
&  two  pounds,  seaventeen  shill :  &  six  pence  to  be  pd.  in  peage,  at  six 
a  peny,  to  Mr  Jno.  Tinker,  for  the  paymt  of  s'vrall  bills  cancelled,  & 
left  on  file  in  Court. 


The  Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay  received  from  the 
Council  for  New  England  their  grant  of  land,  or  the  patent 
by  which  they  held  their  territory ;  and  they  received  from 
the  King  their  charter,  securing  to  them  the  right  to  make 
their  own  laws  and  choose  their' own  officers.  Property  in 


182  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS 

the  soil  was  given  to  the  Company  by  the  patent  ;  yet  the 
rights  of  the  Indians  as  previous  occupants  were  recognized 
by  the  local  government,  and  often  regarded  by  the  English 
proprietors  in  the  acquisition  of  land.  It  was  certainly  to  the 
credit  of  the  early  settlers  that  they  acknowledged  these 
rights  and  were  willing  to  extinguish  them  by  purchase. 
This  action  on  their  part  did  not  make  the  title  to  the  land 
any  clearer  in  a  court  of  law,  but  it  established  a  principle. 
During  some  years  before  the  charter  was  annulled,  its  im- 
pending fate  was  feared,  and  the  colonists  thought  that  their 
landed  possessions  might  be  forfeited  to  the  Crown.  In  this 
state  of  affairs  they  undertook  to  strengthen  their  claims 
by  purchase  from  the  Indians ;  and  many  instances  are  re- 
corded of  sales  to  them.  It  was  thought,  moreover,  that 
buying  the  land  of  the  original  owners  would  give  a  title 
paramount  even  to  that  of  the  King.  Various  entries  are 
found  in  the  towrn-rccords  of  Groton,  which  show  that  the 
early  proprietors  took  similar  action  in  regard  to  their 
territory. 

I  herewith  give  several  extracts  from  the  records,  bearing 
on  this  point,  without  any  attempt  to  correct  the  spelling  or 
modernize  the  language.  The  crude  and  illiterate  phrases 
impart  a  coloring  to  that  period,  and  deepen  the  light  and 
shade  of  those  times,  which  a  finished  picture  would  not 
represent.  Moreover,  they  are  a  fair  expression  of  the 
daily  life  of  the  common  people,  which  was  rough,  honest, 
and  true. 

At  a  ginarall  Town  meting  upon  25  d  10  m  1683  John  Page 
John  Parish  Insin  Lorinc 

as  you  are  C'hosin  a  comity  for  and  in  the  behalf  of  the  Towne 
you  are  desiered  for  too  prone  the  Rit  and  titill  we  haue  too  our 
Tooun  ship  by  all  the  legall  testimony  which  can  be  procucrid  when 
the  Toown  is  sent  too  by  aney  a  Tority  and  if  aney  ingins  can  prone 
a  lagiall  titall  too  the  Remainer  of  our  Town  ship  you  haue  power 
too  by  it  at  as  easi  a  lay  as  you  can  and  mack  it  as  snr  as  may  be  in 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS.  183 

the  behalf  of  the  Toown  and  you  shall  haue  Reasinabll  satisfackion 
for  your  payns. 

JONATHAN  MORS  Clark 
in  the  nam  of  the  selckt  men  31  d  10  m  1683 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  town-meeting  was  held  on  Christ- 
mas ;  and  three  weeks  later  the  Committee  made  their  report, 
giving  the  expenses  of  their  work,  as  follows :  — 

at  A  ginnrall  Town  meting  upon  the  14  d  n  m  1683  the  Toown 
comity  did  giue  in  thar  acount  of  thar  chargis  for  the  purchis  of  our 
Town  ship  with  the  indins 

thar  Chargis  in  money-Eckspencis  i  —  10 

2  for  thar  tym  in  Town  pay  twelue 

shilins  apese  which  doo  amount  too  i  —  16  —  o 

uotid  that  the  comity  was  too  entr  the  ded 
in  too  the  cunty  records  for  this  sum 

14 d  ii  m  1683  at  a  ginnrall  Toown  meting  it  was  agred  upon 
and  uoted  that  this  publick  chargis  con  sarning  the  purchis  of  our 
Toown  ship  shall  be  raysed  by  the  furst  grants  and  too  horn  thay  war 
furst  grantid  too 

at  the  sam  meting  it  was  agred  upon  and  by  not  declarid  that  if  any 
parsin  doo  Refus  too  pay  for  the  purchis  of  this  ingin  titell  too  our 
Toown  ship  thar  pur  porsion  thar  nams  are  too  be  entred  in  too  the 
Toown  buck 

at  a  ginnrall  Toown  meting  upon  the  14  d  11  m  1683  4  it  was 
agred  upon  and  uoted  that  this  Bublick  chargis  con  sarning  our  purchis 
of  our  indin  titll  shall  be  Leuied  upon  our  ffurst  grants  of  lands  and 
thay  shall  pay  in  hose  hands  thay  are  found 

In  accordance  with  the  vote  passed  at  this  town-meeting, 
"  that  the  comity  was  too  entr  the  ded  in  too  the  cunty 
records,"  the  instrument  was  duly  recorded  in  the  Middlesex 
Registry  of  Deeds  (IX.  27),  at  East  Cambridge.  It  is  as 
follows :  — 

Co  all  people  to  whom  these  prsents  shall  come  greeting  know  yee 
Mr  John  Tom  Dublit  &  his  wife  &  their  Eldest  son  little    Indians  to 
Jame  ffox,  alias  Gasumbitt,   Mr  Jacob  alias  Patatuck  all    ^rotton 


1 84  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

of  Weymessit  &  Thomas  Waban   of  Natick  all  of  them  Indians  & 
Inhabitants  as  afores'1  and  within  the  Massachusetts  Colony  in  New 
r          England  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  full  &  just  sum  of 
for  28—10    twenty  and  eight  pound  ten  shill.  to  me  well  and  truly  payd 
&  security  given  to  them  according  to  law  by  Corporall  John  Page,  Ens  : 
Nathaniel  Lawrence  &  John  Parresh  all  of  the  Towne  of  Grotton.  \vch 
is  to  the  full  satisfaecon  &  content  of  the  afores'1  Indians  and  thereof 
and  of  every  part  thereof  do  acquitt,  release  and  discharge  yc  sd  John 
Page  &  Nathaniel  Lawrence  &  John  Parresh  &  their  heyrs  &  Admin- 
istrators for  ever  by  these  prsents.     fjabt  granted,  bargained  &:  sold, 
aliened  enfeoffed  &  confirmed,  &  by  these  prsents  do  fully, 
freely  clearly  and  absolutely  grant,  bargaine  £  sell,  alien, 
enfeofe  &  confirme  to  the  now   Inhabitants  of  the  Towne  of  Grot- 
aii  that  Plan-     ton  aforesd  and  to  their  heyrs  &  Associates  forever  All 

tation  called  , 

Grotton  &  every  part  of  that   Iract  ot  land  which  is  called  Grot- 

ton  plantation  according  to  the  full  Extent  of  the  bounds  thereof,  on 
both  sides  of  Nashaway  River,  as  it  is  granted  to  them  by  the 
honble  Gen"  Court  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony.  Co 
J)ai)£  ant  to  IjolU  the  abovs'1  Tract  of  land  with  all  the 
priviledges  &  appurtenances  to  the  same  apperteyning  or  in  any 
wise  belonging  to  them  the  s'1  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Grotton  & 
to  their  heyrs  &  Associates  forever  &  to  their  &  their  only  propper 
use  and  behoofe  And  .they  the  sd  Mr  John  Tom  Dtiblitt  &  his 
wife  and  their  son  ..the  Eldest  of  them,  little  James  ffox  &  Jacob 
Pataatuck  &  Thomas  Waaban  for  themselvs,  their  heyrs  &  Adminis- 
trators do  covenant,  promise  &  grant  to  and  with  the  afores'1  John 
Page,  Nathaniel  Lawrence  &  John  Parresh  (as  Trustees  for  &  in  be- 
halfe  of  the  whole  Inhabitants  of  the  aforesd  Towne  of  Grotton)  & 
with  their  heyrs  &  Assigns  forever,  that  they  the  sd  Mr  John  Tom 
Dublitt  &  his  wife  &  their  Eldest  son  &:  little  James  ffox,  alias 
Gasumbitt  &  Jacob  Patatuck  &  Thomas  \Yaaban  &  each  of  them 
are  the  true  and  propper  heyrs  of  the  abouesd  Tract  'of  land  as  to  all 
manner  of  Indian  Title,  that  either  is  or  may  conceived  to  be. 
And  that  they  have  good  right,  full  powr  &  lawfull  Authority  the 
prmises  to  grant,  bargaine  &  confirme  to  them  the  s1  Inhabitants  of 
Grotton  &  to  their  heyrs,  Associates  &  Assigns  forever.  And  that 
they  the  sd  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Grotton  their  heyrs  Associ- 
ates &  Assigns  forever  shall  and  may  at  all  times  &  from  time  to 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS.  185 

time  forever  hereafter  quietly  and  peaceably  have,  hold,  occupy, 
possess  &  enjoy  the  sd  whole  Tract  of  land  or  plantation  with  all 
the  priviledges,  profitts  &  commodityes  of  the  same  without  the  law- 
full  lett,  hindrance,  Eviction  expulsion,  sute,  molestation  or  denyall 
of  them  the  sd  Mr  John  Tom  Dublitt  &  his  wife  &  their  Eldest  son 
little  James  ffox,  Jacob  alias  Patatuck  &  Thomas  Waaban  their 
heyrs  or  Executors,  Administrators  or  Assigns  of  them  or  of  either 
of  them  or  of  any  other  person  or  persons  whatsoever  whither  In- 
dian or  English  claiming  or  having  any  right,  title  or  Interest  therein 
or  thereunto  by  from  or  under  them  or  either  of  them  (as  to  Indian 
Title  of  land)  or  by  any  other  lawfull  ways  or  means  whatsoever. 

In  witness  whereof,  the  sd  Mr  John  Indian  &  Tom  Dublitt  and 
his  wife  &  their  Eldest  son  little  James  ffox,  Jacob  alias  Patatuck 
&  Thomas  Waaban  have  affixed  their  hands  &  seals 

,  ioth  Janur  1683 

hereunto  this  tenth  day  of  January,  In  the  year  of  our 
Lord  God  one  thousand  six  hundred  eighty  &  three,  four,  and  in  the 
thirty   and   five   year   of   ye   reigne   of    our   sovereigne    Lord   King 
Charls  the  second 

Read, 

signd, 

sealed 

&  deliverd 

in  ye  presence  of  us 

THO  :  HINCHMAN  his  mark  &  scale  -f-  MR  JOHN  and  scale 

JOHN  FFISKE  TOM   O    DUBLITT  his  mark  and  scale 

JONATH.  DANFORTH  Senr  his    E    wife  her  mark  &  scale 

JAMES  BROWN  LITTLE  D  JAMES  his  mark  &  scale 

JAMES  RUMBLY  MARSH  JACOB  8  PATATUCK  his  mark  &  scale 

CAPT   E  TOM  THOMAS  WABAN  &  scale 

his  marke  TOM    S    DUBLITTS  SON  &  scale 

mark 

Pompequoout,  alias  Mr  John,  Thomas  Neepamimp  alias  Dublitt 
&  Sarah  his  wife.  Pasumbitt,  alias  little  James  fox  &  Petatook  alias 
Jacob  Indians  of  Weymeset  &  Thomas  Waban  Indian  of  Natick, 
acknowledged  the  within  written  Instrument  to  be  their  Act  &  Deed 

Jan.  ii.  1683/4 

Before  PET  :  BULKELEY  Assis1. 

Recorded.  17.  3.  1684 

by  THO  :  DANFORTH.  R. 


1 86  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

James  Rumbly  Marsh,  one  of  the  witnesses  to  the  deed, 
was  a  friendly  Indian,  of  much  service  to  the  English  during 
King  Philip's  \Var.  He  is  mentioned  by  Gookin  in  the 
"  History  of  the  Christian  Indians,"  where  his  middle  name  is 
written  Rumney,  which  is  the  correct  spelling.  He  was  the 
spy  who  gave  timely  information  in  regard  to  the  intended 
attack  on  Lancaster,  which,  however,  was  not  heeded.  Rum- 
ney Marsh  is  the  old  name  of  Chelsea ;  and  James,  by  living 
in  that  town,  acquired  this  designation.  Sometimes  he  was 
called  James  Ouannapohit  or  Quanapaug. 

By  referring  to  the  proceedings  of  a  town-meeting,  held  on 
June  8,  1702,  it  will  be  seen  that  other  persons  besides  the 
Committee,  acting  doubtless  on  their  own  responsibility,  had 
acquired  nominal  rights  from  the  Indians.  The  following 
votes  were  then  passed :  - 

at  a  town  meting  legally  warned  Jun  eighte  1 702  the  town  did 
note  that  thay  would  giue  Peleg  larraness  Eairs  three  acers  of 
madow  whare  thay  ust  to  Improue  and  tenn  acers  of  upland  neare 
that  madow  upon  the  Conditions  following  that  the  aboue  sd  Peleg 
larrances  heirs  do  deliuer  up  that  Indian  titelle  which  thay  now 
haue  to  the  town 

JAMES  BLANCHARD  Clarke 

at  a  town  leaglly  warned  Jun  :  eight  1702  the  town  :  did  uot  that 
thay  would  giue  to  robart  robins  Sener  three  acers  of  madow  where 
he  uste  to  Improue  :  and  ten  acers  of  upland  near  his  madow  upon 
the  Conditions  forlowing  that  he  aboue  sd  Robart  Robbins  doth 
deliuer  up  that  Indian  titels  which  he  now  hath  :  to  the  town 

JAMES  BLAXCHARD  town  Clarke 

The  general  practice  of  selling  land  to  the  English  caused 
some  hard  feeling  among  those  Indians  who  received  none 
of  the  purchase  money.  Naturally  they  felt  dissatisfied  with 
the  proceedings ;  and  only  a  few  months  after  the  sale  to  the 
town  of  Groton,  a  considerable  number  of  them  requested  the 


MISCELLANEOUS1  MATTERS.  187 

General  Court  to  have  a  committee  appointed,  who  should 
examine  the  subject  in  all  its  bearings.  The  petition  is  as 
follows :  — 

To  the  Hcnred  Governer  Deputy  Governer  and  assistants  together 
with  the  Honred  hous  of  deputyes  now  sitting  In  Generall  Court 
assembled  In  boston  Sept1"-  (IOM)  (W84) 

The  petition  of  Cap'  Tom  and  Will  Nahaughton  and  Thomas 
Dublett  (Indians)  &  Diuers  other  most  humbly  sheweth  that  whereas 
your  servants  haue  been  and  are  aproued  freinds  to  the  English  and 
sence  the  warr  [King  Philip's]  the  Honred  Generall  Court  was  pleased 
to  state  for  the  Indians  severall  plantations,  one  of  which  we  vnder- 
stand  to  be  at  malbery,  we  doe  vnderstand  that  no  man  is  to  bye 
Indian  land  without  leau  from  your  Honers,  we  se  dayly  that  Thomas 
Woban  and  great  James  [som  others  interlined]  appropriate  to  them 
selues  the  Indian  land  at  malbery  and  sell  it  and  yl  without  order  and 
keep  all  the  pay  to  them  selues,  and  chaleng  the  land  of  Groaton  and 
Concord  Chelmsford  and  bilerikye,  now  we  beseech  yl  your  honers 
woold  be  pleased  to  take  so  much  nottes  of  the  bisenes  for  vs  as  to 
appoint  a  committy  to  Inqire  into  bisenes  y'  Justess  may  be  dun  for 
the  Indians  in  this  Case  for  many  Indians  are  much  disqieted  about 
it,  we  haueing  shrouded  our  selues  under  the  wing  of  your  honers  pro- 
tection, doe  Rest  hopeing  for  a  gracious  answer  and  subscribe  our 
selues  your  Redy  servants  to  our  power 

Dat  the  (ist)  of  Septbr  1684  CAP'  TOM 

WITT  NAHAUGHTON 
THOS  DUBLETT 

[and  twenty-five  other  Indians,  who 
signed  by  making  their  marks.] 

[Massachusetts  Archives,  XXX.  287.] 

The  grant  of  land  made  in  the  spring  of  1658,  by  the 
General  Court,  to  Major  Simon  Willard,  was  in  satisfaction  of 
a  debt  due  him  from  John  Sagamore,  an  Indian  living  at 
Pawtucket,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  city  of  Lowell. 
The  land  lay  in  the  south  part  of  Groton,  then  known  as 
Nonacoicus,  and  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Aycr. 
The  entry  in  the  General  Court  Records  is  as  follows :  — 


188  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

In   Answer   to   the   petition   of  Major  Symon  Willard  The  Court 

Judgeth  it  meete  to  graunt  his  Request  viz  a  farme  of  five  hundred 

acres  on  the  south  side  of  the  Riuer  that  Runneth  from  Nashaway 

[Lancaster]  to  Merremack  betweene  Lancaster  &  Groten 

Courts  L*raur,t       L  -J 

to  Major  Sy-  &  is  In  sattisfaction  of  a  debt  of  forty  fower  pounds  Jn'J 
mon  wiiiard.  Sagamore  of  Patuckett  doth  owe  to  him  Provided  he 
make  ouer  all  his  Right  title  &  Interest  in  the  execution  obtayned  agt 
the  sajd  Sagamore  to  the  countrje  wch  was  donne  (IV.  281.) 


The  following  Indian  names,  applied  by  the  early  settlers 
to  streams,  ponds,  or  places,  in  the  original  township  of 
Groton  and  its  neighborhood,  are  for  the  most  part  still  in 
common  use.  The  spelling  of  these  words  varies,  as  they 
were  first  written  according  to  their  sound  and  not  according 
to  their  derivation.  They  have  been  twisted  and  distorted  so 
much  by  English  pronunciation  and  misapplication,  that  it  is 
doubtful  whether  an  Indian  would  recognize  them  in  their 
foreign  garb.  Yet,  even  with  this  drawback,  they  furnish  one 
of  the  few  links  in  the  chain  of  historical  facts  connecting 
us  with  pre-historic  times  in  America.  It  is  rare  to  find  an 
Indian  word  in  an  early  document  spelled  twice  alike :  — 

Babittasset  —  the  name  of  a  village  in  Pepperell. 

Baddacook  —  the  name  of  a  pond  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  towrn. 

Catacoonamug — the  name  of  the  neighborhood  of  Shirley,  as  well  as 

of  a  brook  in  that  town. 
Chicopce  —  the  name  of  a  district  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  but 

now  applied  to  a  highway  approaching  it,  called  Chicopee  Row. 
Hmnhaiv —  the  name  of  a  brook  in  YVestford. 
Kissacook  —  the  name  of  a  hill  in  Westford. 
Massapoag — the  name  of  a  pond,  lying  partly  in  Groton  and  partly 

in  Dunstable. 

Mulpus  —  the  name  of  a  brook  in  Shirley. 
Nagog — the  name  of  a  pond  in  Littleton. 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS.  189 

Nashoba  —  the  old  name  of  Littleton,  now  applied  to  a  hill  in  that 

town,  as  well  as  to  a  brook  in  Westford. 

Nashua  —  the  name  of  the  river  running  through  the  township. 
Nissitisset  —  the  name  of  a  river  in  Pepperell. 
Nonacoicus  —  the  name  of  a  brook  in  Ayer,  though  formerly  applied 

to   a   tract  of  land.      Sometimes   the  word   is   abbreviated   to 

Coicus. 

Nubanussuek  —  the  name  of  a  pond  in  Westford. 
Petaupaukett — a  name  found  in  the  original  petition  to  the  General 

Court  for  the  grant  of  the  town,  and  used  in  connection  with  the 

territory  of  the  neighborhood  ;   sometimes  written  Petapawage 

and  Petapaway. 
Quosopanagon  —  the  name  of  a  meadow  "  on  the  other  side  of  the 

riuer,"  mentioned  in  the  land-grant  of  Thomas  Tar  bell,  Jr. ;  the 

same  word  as  Quasaponikin,  formerly  the  name  of  a  tract  of  land 

in  Lancaster,  but  now  given  to  a  meadow  and  a  hill  in  that  town, 

where  it  is  often  contracted  into  Ponikin. 
Squannacook  —  the  name  of  a  river  in  the  western  part  of  the  town 

flowing  into  the  Nashua  ;  formerly  applied  to  the  village  of  West 

Groton. 

Tadmuck  —  the  name  of  a  brook  and  a  meadow  in  Westford. 
Unquetenassett,  or    Uhquetenorset  —  the   name    of    a   brook   in   the 

northern  part  of  the   town.      It   is   sometimes   shortened   into 

Unquety. 
Wabansconcett — another  word  found  in  the  original  petition  for  the 

grant  of  the  town,  and  used  in  connection  with  the  territory  of 

the  neighborhood. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Honorable  James  Hammond 
Trumbull,  whose  authority  in  Indian  philology  is  unques- 
tioned, gives  the  meaning  and  derivation  of  the  original  name 
of  the  town  :  — 

HARTFORD,  Dec.  22,  1877. 

MY  DEAR  DR.  GREEN,  —  Petaupauket  and  Petapawage  are  two 
forms  of  the  same  name,  the  former  having  the  locative  post-position 
(-ef),  meaning  "  at  "  or  "  on  "  a  place  ;  and  both  are  corruptions  of 
one  or  the  other  of  two  Indian  names,  found  at  several  localities  in 


190  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

New  England.  From  which  of  the  t\vo  your  Groton  name  came, 
I  cannot  decide  without  some  knowledge  of  the  place  itself.  I  leave 
you  the  choice,  confident  that  one  or  the  other  is  the  true  name. 

"Pootuppog"  used  by  Eliot  for  "bay,"  in  Joshua,  xv.  2,  5,  literally 
means  "  spreading  "  or  "  bulging  water,"  and  was  employed  to 
designate  either  a  local  widening  of  a  river,  making  still  water,  or  an 
inlet  from  a  river  expanding  into  something  like  a  pond  or  lake. 
Hence  the  name  of  a  part  of  (old)  Saybrook,  now  Essex,  Conn., 
which  was  variously  written  Pautapaug,  Poattapoge,  Potabauge,  and, 
later,  Pcttipaug,  &c.,  so  designated  from  a  spreading  cove  or  inlet 
from  Connecticut  River.  Pottapoug  Pond  in  Dana,  Mass.,  with  an 
outlet  to,  or  rather  an  inlet  from,  Chicopee  River,  is  probably  a  form 
of  the  same  name.  So  is  "  Port  Tobacco,"  Charles  County,  Md.  (the 
" Potapaco  "  of  John  Smith's  map),  on  the  Potomac. 

But  there  is  another  Algonkin  name  from  which  Petaupauk  and 
some  similar  forms  may  have  come,  which  denotes  a  swamp,  bog,  or 
quagmire,  —  literally,  a  place  into  which  the  foot  sinks  ;  represented  by 
the  Chippeway/^tf^,  a  bog  or  soft  marsh,  and  the  Abnaki  potepaug. 
There  is  a  Pautipaug  (otherwise,  Pootapaug,  Portipang,  Patapogue, 
&c.)  in  the  town  of  Sprague,  Conn.,  on  or  near  the  Shetucket  River, 
which  seems  to  have  this  derivation. 

If  there  was  in  (ancient)  Groton  a  pond  or  spreading  cove,  con- 
nected with  the  Nashua,  Squannacook,  Nissitisset,  or  other  stream,  or 
a  pond-like  enlargement,  or  '"bulge,"  of  a  stream,  this  may,  without 
much  doubt,  be  accepted  as  the  origin  of  the  name.  If  there  is  none 
such,  the  name  probably  came  from  some  "  watery  swamp,"  like 
those  into  which  (as  the  "  Wonder  Working  Providence  "  relates) 
the  first  explorers  of  Concord  "  sunke,  into  an  uncertaine  bottome  in 
water,  and  waded  up  to  their  knees." 

Yours  truly, 

J.  HAMMOND  TRUMBULL. 

The  last  suggestion,  that  the  name  came  from  an  Algonkin 
word  signifying  swamp,  or  bog,  is  probably  the  correct  one. 
There  are  many  bog  meadows,  of  greater  or  less  extent,  in 
different  parts  of  the  town.  Two  of  the  largest — one  situ- 
ated on  the  easterly  side  of  the  village,  and  known  as  Half- 


MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS.  191 

Moon  Meadow,  and  the  other  on  the  westerly  side,  and  known 
as  Broad  Meadow,  each  covering  perhaps  a  hundred  acres 
of  land  —  are  now  in  a  state  of  successful  cultivation.  Before 
they  were  drained  and  improved,  they  would  have  been  best 
designated  as  swamps,  or  bogs. 


A  singing-book,  entitled  "  Indian  Melodies,"  was  published 
at  New  York,  in  the  year  1845,  containing  a  tune  called 
"  Groton."  The  compiler  of  the  work  was  Thomas  Commuck, 
a  Narragansett  Indian,  then  living  at  Manchester,  Wisconsin 
Territory.  He  asserts  that  all  the  tunes  mentioned  in  the 
book,  as  well  as  their  names,  are  Indian,  which  is  a  mistake. 
Groton  is  an  old  English  word,  in  use  more  than  eight  hun- 
dred years  ago,  and  its  Latin  form  is  found  in  Domesday 
Book. 

There  are  several  tunes  called  Groton,  given  in  different 
singing-books,  but  the  earliest  one  that  I  can  find  is  in  Jacob 
Kimball's  "  Rural  Harmony,"  published  at  Boston,  in  the 
year  1793  ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  author  of  the 
work  wrote  it  himself.  Mr.  Kimball  was  born  in  Topsfield, 
Massachusetts,  on  February  15,  1761,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  the  class  of  1780.  He  studied  law  with 
Judge  William  Wetmore,  of  Salem,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  the  year  1795.  Before  this  time  he  was  a  school- 
teacher and  a  noted  composer  of  music.  He  wrote  quite  a 
number  of  tunes,  and  some  of  them  were  named  after  the 
towns  where  he  taught  singing.  At  one  time  he  lived  in 
Amherst,  New  Hampshire ;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  he 
named  the  tune  after  this  town.  He  died  at  Topsfield,  on 
July  24,  1826. 


192  MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

Gibbet  Hill,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  village, 
was  so  named  at  a  very  early  day  in  the  history  of  Groton. 
It  is  mentioned  in  the  land-grant  of  Sergeant  James  Parker, 
which  was  entered  in  the  town-records  by  Richard  Sawtell, 
the  first  town-clerk,  who  filled  the  office  from  June,  1662,  to 
January,  1664-5.  The  tradition  is  that  the  hill  was  so  called 
from  the  fact  that  once  an  Indian  was  gibbeted  on  its  summit. 
If  this  ever  occurred,  it  must  have  happened  before  Richard 
Sawtell's  term  of  office.  The  town  was  incorporated  by  the 
General  Court  on  May  25,  1655,  but  no  public  records  were 
kept  before  June  23,  1662. 


INDEX, 


AB£NAQUI,  chief,  Taxous,  64. 

Acadia,  170. 

Adams    (Addams),    Archelus:    soldier, 

164; return,  166. 
Adams,   Daniel :  petition,    38 ;    wages, 

46. 

Adams,  Jonathan,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Adams,  Salom,  petitioner,  19. 
Addington,  Isaiah,  secretary,  53,  54,  69, 

82.  85,  89,  91,  93,  96. 
Ahasombamet,  73. 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  treaty,  156. 
Ak-wis-sas-ne,  settlement,  1 19. 
Albany    (Albaney),    N.    Y.,    112,    168; 

Tarbells  in,  116. 

Alexander,  John,  in  garrison,  59, 
Allen,  Rev.  Wilkes,  quoted,  107. 
Allen,  Samuel,  paid,  45. 
Almy,  Job,  on  committee,  115. 
Ames  family,  prominent,  154. 
Ames,  Ebenezer,  private,  160. 
Ames,  Eleazer  :  soldier,  164  ;  gun  lost, 

168. 
Ames,  Jacob  :  private,  128,  155  ;  shoots 

Indian,    131  ;    petition,    132;    under 

Lovewell,  135. 

Ames,  John:  shot,  106,  131  ;  paid,  172- 
Ames,  Simon,  not  enlisted,  166. 
Amherst,  N.  H.,  191. 
Amherst,  Heneral  Jeffrey,  178. 
Ammunition,  93. 
Amsaquonte  Fort,  Maine,  gathering  of 

Indians  at,  72. 

Andover    (Andeuer),     Mass.,    commis- 
sioner from,  42. 
Anville,  Duke  d',  fleet  of,  150. 
Appleton,  Major,  reference  to,  26. 
Archable,  John,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Archaeologia  Americana,  allusion,  S. 


Ashley,  Mr.,  allusion,  112. 
Assyrian,  the  proud,  allusion,  33. 
Ata-wen-ta,  Indian  chief,  1 18. 
Augary  (Longley),  John,  75. 
Ayer,  Mass.,  13,  62,  187. 


BABBITASSET,  188. 

Baddacook  Pond,  188. 

Ballard,  Nathaniel,  private,  174. 

Ball,  Eleazer,  paid,  46. 

Bambazeen  (Bomazeen),  allusion,  67. 

Bancroft  family,  prominent,  154. 

Bancroft,  Captain  Thomas,  So. 

Bancroft,  Edmund,  private,  154,  165. 

Bancroft,  Lieutenant,  charges  the  In- 
dians, 56. 

Bancroft,  Thomas,  paid,  45. 

Baptist  meeting-house,  location,  26. 

Barnard,  Samuel,  trooper,  127, 

Barnes  (Barron  ?),  Elias,  in  garrison, 
60. 

Barnes,  John,  in  garrison,  60. 

Barney,  Daniel,  in  garrison,  59. 

Barrett  (Barret,  Barrit),  John,  soldier, 
126. 

Barrett,  Lemuel,  private.  152 

Barron,  Elias:  wounded,  134;  allow- 
ance to  family,  146. 

Barron,  Silas,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Bart,  William,  private,  175, 

Basin  of  Annapolis  Royal,  Nova  Scotia, 
174. 

Bason,  Samuel,  private,  175. 

Bass,  James  Lawrence,  muster-roll  in 
possession  of,  150,  151. 

Bates,  John,  paid,  46. 

Bauclen  (Boyden),  Josiah,  soldier,  128. 

Bay  Government,  162. 


194 


INDEX. 


Bayonet-men,  list  of,  176,  177. 

Beaubien  (Bobbin)  family,  173. 

Belcher,  J.,  signature,  115. 

Bellomont,  Lord,  signature,  82. 

Bemis  (Bemish),  Ephraim,  paid,  45,  46. 

Benjamin,  John,  sergeant,  88. 

Bennett  (Bennet,  Bennit),  John,  soldier, 

126. 

Bennett,  Joseph,  private,  155. 
Bennett,  Samuel,  at  a  farm,  61. 
Bennett,  William,  private,  155. 
Berwick,  Maine,  letter  from,  54. 
Beverly  (Beuerly),  Mass.,  commissioner 

from,  42. 

Billerica  (Bilerekey,  Bilerica,  Bilerikye, 
Billerekey,  Billerikey,  Billerkey,  Bil- 
rica),  Mass.,  So,  175,  187  ;  forces  weak 
in,  23;  security,  39;  inhabitants  sitting 
on  the  fence,  42. 
Biscuit  (Biskett),  112. 
Blandford  (Glasco),  Mass.,  112. 
Blanchard,  James,  clerk,  186. 
Blanchard,  Joseph,  private,  126. 
Blanchard,  Joseph,  Jr.,  private,  152. 
Blanchard,  Simon,  private,  153. 
Blankets,  132,  167. 

Blasdell,  Dr.  Henry,  petition,  130,  131. 
Blood  (Bloud),  Aaron,  soldier,  164. 
Blood,  Caleb,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Blood,  Ebenezer,  private,  155. 
Blood,  James  :  in   garrison,  59 ;  killed 

63,  1 06. 

Blood,  Joseph:  soldier, 126,    128;  sum- 
moned as  a  witness,  9,  10. 

Blood,  Moses,  private,  155,  164. 

Blood,  Nathaniel,  in  garrison,  59. 

Blood,    Robert   (Robart)  :  private,  164, 
166,  167;  witness,  180,  i8t. 

Blood,  Samson,  private,  174. 

Blood,  Shattuck,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Blood,   Widow   (Widdow),  Jr.,  settled 
in  garrison,  59. 

Bloody  Point,  174. 

Bobbin  (Beaubien),  Eliz.,  age,  173. 

Bobbin,  John,  age,  173. 

Bobbin,  Joseph,  age,  173. 

Bobbin.  Margaret,  age,  173. 

Bobbin,  Mary,  age,  173. 

Bobbin,  Matturen,  age,  173. 

Bobbin,  Paul  Oliver,  age  173. 


Bobbin,  Peter,  age,  173. 
Bobbin,  Rain,  age,  173. 
Boidon  (Boy den),  Jonathan,  about  to 

leave  Groton,  104. 
Boidon,  Joseph,  left  Groton,  104. 
Bomascen  (Bambazeen),  allusion,  73. 
Bonat,  Mme.  Marguerite   (Mgte),  god- 
mother, 1 10. 

Bordman,  William,  paid,  47. 
Boston  (Bostoun),  16,  115,  176;  Indian 
hanged  there,  8  ;    General  Court,  9  ; 
boast  concerning,  33  ;  attack  on,  i  50 
Boston  Gazette,  131. 
Boston  Public  Library,  35. 
Boston  News-Letter,  89,  105,  131. 
Boutwcll,    Governor    George    S.,   resi- 
dence, 35. 
Bowers,  Captain  Jerathmel,  So,  95,  96  ; 

after  the  Indians,  63. 
Bowers,  Lieutenant,  allusion,  58. 
Bowers,    Samuel:    private,    155;    paid, 

171. 

Bowman,  Captain,  allusion,  127. 
Boxford,  Mass.,  174. 
Boyclcn     (Bautlen,    Boiden,     Boydon), 

John,  soldier,  164. 
Boyden,  Josiah,  private,  128,  175. 
Boyenton,  Abraham,  private,  176. 
Boynton,  John,  Esq.,  allusion,  133. 
Bradford,    Mass.,   commissioner    from, 

42. 
Bradstreet,    Lieutenant    Dudley,     154- 

156. 

Bradstreet,    Rev.    Dudley,    settlement, 
97;  his  man  slain,  104;  in  garrison, 
107  ;  allusion,  154,  156. 
Bradstreet,  Simon,  allusion,  24. 
Bragadozios,  reference  to,  33. 
Braintree,  Mass.,  Marshall's  Diary,  87. 
Brandy,   112. 
Brattleborough,  Vt.,  156. 
Brattle,  Cornet  Thomas,  order  concern- 
ing, 19- 

Bread,  supplied,  53. 
Breck,  Mr.  Robert,  ordained,  89. 
Broad  Meadow,  190. 
Brookfield,  Mass. :  allusion,  14  ;  rescue 

of,  1 6. 

Browne,  Benjamin,  on  committee,  115. 
Brown,  David,  bayonet-man,  177. 


INDEX. 


195 


Brown,  Eleazer,  paid,  46. 

Brown,  Ezekiel,  sergeant,  175. 

Brown,  James,  witness,  185. 

Brown,  Mr.,  killed,  104. 

Buckminster,  Colonel  Joseph,  account 
of,  passed,  127. 

Bulkley  ^Bulkeley,  Bulkely,  Bulkly), 
Captain  John,  company,  166,  167, 
176,  177. 

Bulkley,  Captain  Joseph :  at  court- 
martial,  98  ;  in  Lancaster,  102. 

Bulkley,  John,  private,  155. 

Bull,  Samuel,  paid,  44,  46. 

Bunker  Hill,  battle,  87,  151. 

Burrill,  John,  speaker,  93,  94. 

Burt,  James,  private,  152,  175. 

Bush,  John,  paid,  44,  47. 

Bush,  William,  private,  152. 

Butler,  Caleb,  references  to  his  His- 
tory, 58,  61,  63,  67,  89,  132,  133,  144, 
188. 

Butterfield,  Jonathan,  allusion,  100. 

Butterfield,  Josiah,  soldier,  164. 

Butterfield,  Samuel :  comrade  of  John 
Shepley,  68 ;  four  pounds  given  to, 
69;  captured,  70;  petition,  95,  96. 

Byfield,  Nathaniel,  speaker,  56. 


CADY  (Cade,  Cadein,  Cadye),  Daniel 
(Danill) :  in  garrison,  61 ;  left  Gro- 
ton,  104. 

Cady,  John :  witness,  38 ;  in  garrison, 
60;  left  Groton,  104. 

Cady,  Joseph,  in  garrison,  60. 

Cady,  Nicholas  (Nickolass) :  witness, 
38 ;  allusion,  60. 

Cambridge,  Mass. :  two  council-mem- 
bers living  in,  23 ;  allusion,  36  ;  com- 
missioners meet  at,  42;  new  (Newton), 
92. 

Canaan,  allusion,  108. 

Canada  (Canedy):  French  in,  12,  63; 
expedition  to,  54,  55  ;  Indians  not  at, 
58;  captives,  72,  109;  governor-gen- 
eral, in;  Tarbell  brothers  brought 
from,  112;  mission  to,  120-122;  In- 
dians in,  141;  allusion,  149;  expe- 
dition against,  166-168. 

Canada,  Daniel,  paid,  45,  46. 


Candlestick,  removal  of,  32. 

Carlors  (Kerley),  Lieutenant,  daughter 

set  at  liberty,  35. 
Casco  Bay,  82. 

Casco,  Maine,  headquarters,  53. 
Catacoonamug   (Catacomumok,   Catta- 

comumok,  Cattaconamak),  brook  and 

territory,  179,  180,  188. 
Caughnawaga :  Indian  village,  1 10 ;  chief 

at,  1 16 ;  Tarbells  in,  1 17  ;  Jesuit  from, 

119;  boys  from,  120;  council  of  the 

tribe,  121  ;  painting  in,  123. 
Cavalry-troopers,  12. 
Chair  (vehicle),  160. 
Chamberlain    (Chamberlin),    garrison, 

107,  108. 
Chamberlain,  Edmund  (Edman),  about 

to  leave  Groton,  104. 
Chamberlain,     Elizabeth,     mother     of 

John,  144. 
Chamberlain,  John  :  kills  Indian  chief, 

134;  Paugus  slain,  138,  139;  stories 

concerning,    140-145;     soldier,    164, 

166,  167. 

Chamberlain,  Jonathan,  private,  175. 
Chamberlain,  Thomas,  private,  44,  126, 

128,  144,  155. 

Champigny,  M.,  report  by,  64. 
Chandler,  Ephraim,  soldier,  126,  164. 
Chandler,  Joseph,  private,  155. 
Chapin,  Robert  (Robart),  private,  152. 
Charity   School    at    Hanover,    N.   H., 

1 20. 

Charles  County,  Md.,  190. 
Charles  River,  proposed  stockade  from, 

41,42. 
Charlestown    (Charles    town,    Charles 

Toune,  Charlestowne,   Charls  Toun, 

Charls    Toune,    Charlstown,    Charls 

town),   Mass.:   death  of   S.  Willard 

at,   13;     removal    of    the   Wilberds 

(Willards),  29  ;  boast  concerning,  33 ; 

constables,  37 ;    commissioner   from, 

42 ;  allusion,  58. 
Charlestown  Ferry,- Mass.,  61. 
Charlestown,  N.  H. :  first  settlements, 

148;  No.  4,  162. 
Charles  X.,  interview  with,  122. 
Charlevoix,   P.  F.  X.  de :    quoted,  64 ; 

as  authority,  66. 


196 


INDEX. 


Chase,  Benjamin,  private,  152. 

Chase,  George  Wingate,  historian,  Si. 

Chelmsford  (Chemsford,  Chcnceford), 
Mass,  15,  So,  187;  horsemen,  17; 
forces  weak,  23  ;  burned,  30 ;  boast 
concerning,  33  ;  garrison,  36  ;  ammu- 
nition, 37;  strengthened,  39;  Captain 
Parker,  49;  strokes  on,  192. 

Chelsea,  Mass.,  186. 

Chever,  James,  paid,  47. 

Chicopee  River,  190. 

Chicopee  Row,  Groton,  Lieutenant  La- 
kin's  house,  66,  iSS. 

Child,  Captain  Abram,  178. 

Child,  Joseph,  sergeant,  88. 

Chirurgeons,  55,  57. 

Christmas,  town-meeting  on,  183. 

Chubbuck,  John,  cornet,  54. 

Church,  Cornelius,  in  garrison,  60. 

Church,  David,  paid,  45,  46. 

Church,  Samuel,  in  garrison,  61. 

Churches,  elders  of,  90. 

Churchill,  A.  W.,  allusion,  108. 

Circuit  Court,  of  first  circuit,  68. 

Cleaveland,  Samuel,  paid,  46. 

Clough,  "William,  paid,  47. 

Cobbet,  Rev.  Thomas,  letter,  35. 

Coburn,  Captain  Oliver,  167. 

Cocheco,  now  Dover,  X.  H..  8. 

Codington,  John,  paid,  45. 

Coffin,  Peter,  intention  of,  n. 

Coffin,  Rev.  Paul,  author,  108. 

Coicus  Brook,  189.     (See  Xonacoicus.) 

Collections  of  Farmer  and  Moore, 
121. 

Collections  of  the  Maine  Historical 
Society,  188. 

Collections  of  the  Xew  Hampshire 
Historical  Society,  16. 

Colonial  History  of  Xew  York,  52. 

Colonists,  suspicion  of,  12. 

Combs,  Jonathan,  soldier,  126. 

Commuck,  Thomas,  compiler,  191. 

Community,  Groton,  89. 

Concord,  Mass. :  \Villard,  an  inhabitant 
of,  13  ;  boast  concerning,  33  ;  strength- 
ened, 39;  governor's  tour,  86;  allu- 
sions, 185,  187. 

Concord,  X.  H.,  formerly  Penacook,  9, 
121. 


Concord  River,  proposed  stockade  from, 

41,42. 
Congregation  Xotre  Dame,  in  Montreal, 

75-  "O' 

Connecticut,  governor  of,  133. 
Connecticut  River,  147,  169. 
Connecticut  Valley,  150. 
Consert,  Cornellius,  Dutchman,  16. 
Constables,  Groton,  89. 
Constabulary  order,  16. 
Continuation  of   the    Xarrative  of  the 

Indian  Charity  School,  120. 
Contoocook,  X.  H.,  136. 
Converse,  Captain  James,  So. 
Converse,  James,  speaker,  69,  82,  85, 

88,  91, 

Converse,  Major  James,  letter,  187. 
Cooke,  Joseph,  order  of  council  to,  24. 
Cooper,  John,  quoted,  26. 
Cooper,  Timothy,  killed,  26,  43. 
Cordwainers,  175,  176. 
Corey,  Oliver,  private,  152. 
Coteau  du  Lac,  Canada,  encounter  of 

Lord  Amherst  near,  119. 
Council,  82,  85;  orders  of,   16,  17,  24, 

89;  petitions,  19,  22,  36,  38,    53,   90, 

93'  95!    protection,   39;    proposition 

before,  41  ;  letter  to,  49;  deposition, 

72. 

Court-martial,  account  of,  98. 
Crasby  (Crosby),  Lieutenant,  So. 
Cressey,  Jonathan,  private,  175. 
|  Crisp  (Crispe),  Benjamin,  widow  of,  75. 

Crisp,  Jonathan,  paid,  46. 
i  Crisp,  Zachary,  paid,  46. 

Cromwell,  Ol'ver,  allusion,  62. 
1  Crosby,  Joel  :  soldier,  164;  lost,  168. 
Crown,  interest  of  the,  101. 
Crown  Point,  X.  V,  162,  168,  175. 
Cuming,  John,  167- 
Cumins,  Ebenezer.  soldier,  126. 
Cummins,  William,  wounded,  136 
i  Curtis,  Lieutenant,  38. 
i  Curtis,  Thomas,  private.  152. 
Cutter,  Timothy,  paid,  47. 


DAMON,  John,  paid,  45. 
Dane,  Jacob,  paid,  45,  46- 


INDEX. 


197 


Danforth,  Jonathan :  petitioner,  41 ; 
witness,  185. 

Danforth,  Thomas :  allusion,  24 ;  re- 
corder, 185. 

Dartmouth  College,  Indian  in,  121. 

Davis  (Davice),  Aaron,  private,  175. 

Davis,  Benjamin,  private,  152. 

Davis,  Eleazer,  petition  of,  146, 
147. 

Davis,  Jabaz,  soldier,  126. 

Davis,  John  :  in  garrison,  60;  location 
of  garrison,  62. 

Davis,  Nathaniel,  private,  155. 

Davis,  Samuel,  in  garrison,  60;  killed, 
89 ;  left  Groton,  104. 

Davis,  Simon,  Jr.,  private,  152. 

Davis's  Fordway,  Groton,  89. 

Deerfield,  Mass.,  115,  121. 

Denison,  Major-General  Daniel,  in- 
structions of,  15. 

Denoro,  Joseph,  private,  169. 

Denow,  Joseph,  private,  169. 

Diary,  Sewall's,  84,  86. 

Diary,  Marshall's,  89. 

Dickinson,  Thomas,  murder,  9,  10. 

Dickson,  Walter,  89. 

Diuens  (Divoll),  Goodwife,  ransomed, 

35- 

Divill  (Devil),  drink  makes,  n. 
Documents  collected  in  France,  65. 
Dogs :   track   discovered,   99 ;    Indian, 

100. 

Domton,  Nathaniel,  paid,  45. 
Douglass,  Daniel,  soldier,  164. 
Doule,  William,  paid,  45. 
Dover,    N.    H. :   formerly    Cocheco,  8, 

72  ;  triumphal  entry  into,  135. 
Dracut,  Mass.,  men  at,  146. 
Dragoons :    from    different    towns,    23 ; 

sent  to  Groton's  relief,  30;  attacked, 

36. 

Drunkenness,  among  the  Indians,  10. 
Dublit,  James  Fox,  183-185. 
Dublit,  John  Tom,  183-185. 
Dublett,  Thomas,  petition,  187. 
Dudley,  Francis,  paid,  46. 
Dudley  (Dutly),  Governor  Joseph,  68, 

84,  88,  90,  92,  95,  97,  98,  in;   tour 

in  Middlesex  County,  86. 
Dummer,  fort,  Vt.,  156. 


Dummer,  Lieutenant-Governor  Wil- 
liam, 125  ;  letters  to,  128-130. 

Dummer's  War,  end  of,  146. 

Dunnell,  Thomas,  paid,  45. 

Dunstable  (Donstable),  Mass.,  19,  52, 
133,  174,  188 ;  garrison,  17;  troops, 
80 ;  governor's  tour,  86;  military  list, 
126;  men  posted,  128;  march  from, 
136;  Paugus  there,  140;  men  at,  142. 

Durham,  N.  H.,  72. 

Dupont,  Madeleine,  signature,  77. 

Dutch  in  New  York,  12. 

Dutly  (Dudley),  Joseph,  90. 


EAST    CAMBRIDGE,    Mass.,    179,   183; 

probate  office,  26,  1 10. 
Edwards,  John,  Jr.,  private,  152. 
Egeremet,  feast,  73. 
Eleventh  United  States  Infantry,  124. 
Eliot,  authority,  190. 
Ellett,  Elias,  private,  154. 
Elliot,  Deacon,  order  to,  37. 
Elliote,  Oliver,  private,  176. 
Emerson,  Rev.  Joseph,  sermon,  160. 
England  :  war  with  France  and  Spain, 

86;  agreement  during,  117. 
Epitaphium  on  Simon  Willard,  13. 
Erwin,  John,  164;  bayonet-man,  177. 
Essex  Company,  disbanded,  146. 
Essex,  Conn.,  190. 

Essex  County,  Mass.,  security  of,  41. 
Evangeline,  poem,  170. 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  Simon  Stone  at,  56. 


FAIRBANKS,    Lieutenant    Jabez,     125; 

company    raised     by,    1 27  ;     letters, 

128-130. 

Fairfield,  William,  on  committee,  115. 
Fairwell  (Farwell),  Ilenry,  private,  155. 
Farley,  George,  house,  42. 
Farmer,  Benjamin,  soldier,  164. 
Farmer,  Daniel,  prisoner,  155. 
Farnsworth     (Farnesworth)    brothers, 

133 ;  settlement,  148. 
Farnsworth,  Benjamin,  in  garrison,  60. 
Farnsworth,  David,  escape,  148,  149. 
Farnsworth,   Ebenezer :   prisoner,  149; 

bayonet-man,  177. 


198 


INDEX. 


Farnsworth,     Ebenezer,    Jr.,     private, 

152. 

Farnsworth,  Ephraim,  under  Lovewell, 

135- 

Farnsworth,  Ezra,  allusion,  132. 

Farnsworth,  John :  garrison,  61  ;  loca- 
tion, 62  ;  ensign,  83  ;  signature,  97  ; 
selectman,  103 ;  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton,  104;  in  garrison,  107,  108. 

Farnsworth,  Josiah,  private,  152. 

Farnsworth,  Matthew,  in  garrison,  60. 

Farnsworth,  Matthias,  constable,  10 ; 
capture,  109. 

Farnsworth,  Mr.,  garrison,  107. 

Farnsworth,  Oliver,  private,  152,  164. 

Farnsworth,  Reuben,  under  Lovewell, 

!35- 
Farnsworth,  Rev.  James  Delap,  quoted, 

/I- 
Farnsworth,   Samuel :   in  garrison,  60  ; 

left  Groton,  104;  killed,  148. 
Farnsworth,  Stephen,  death,  149. 
Farnsworth,  Widow,  in  garrison,  60. 
Farnsworth,  William,  soldier,  164,  166, 

167. 

Farrer  (ffarer),  Jacob,  witness,  180. 
Farwell    (Fairwell),     Henry,     private, 

155- 

Farwell,  Isaac:  soldier,  126;  in  Charles- 
town,  150. 

Farwell,  John,  private,  152. 

Farwell,  Joseph  :  soldier,  163 ;  signa- 
ture, 166;  sergeant,  174. 

Farwell,  Joseph,  Jr.,  private,  152. 

Farwell,  Oliver,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Farwell,  Samuel,  private,  152. 

Fast-days,  28. 

Filbrick  (Filbrook,  Philbrick,  Phil- 
brook),  Ephraim,  in  garrison,  60,  107, 
1 08. 

Fisk,  Eleazer,  soldier,  164,  166. 

Fisk,  James:  in  garrison,  60;  private, 
155,  164. 

Fisk,  Nathan,  private,  176. 

Fisk,  Samuel :  in  garrison,  60 ;  private, 
176. 

Fitchburg,  Mass.,  garrison,  153. 

Fitch  (ffitch),  Daniel,  So. 

Fitch,  Zachariah,  owner  of  Longley 
Farm,  74. 


Fletcher,  Jonas,  private,  176. 

Fletcher,  Samuel,  Sr.,  paid,  46. 

Fletcher,  Samuel,  Jr.,  paid,  46. 

Fogg,  Dr.  John  S.  H.,  "  request  "  in 
possession  of,  21. 

Foot  Company,  still  retained,  53. 

Forge  \7illage,  Mass.,  108. 

Forgly  (Frogly),  Timothy,  paid,  44. 

Foster,  Jonathan,  private,  169. 

Foster,  Joseph,  paid,  46. 

Foster,  Simeon :  soldier,  164 ;  bayonet- 
man,  177. 

Foster,  Stephen:  private,  160,  164,  166, 
167;  firearms  lost,  168. 

Foster,  Thomas,  paid,  46. 

Fovel :  in  St.  Regis,  122;  true  charac- 
ter, 123. 

Fox,  Charles  James,  author,  141. 

Foye  (ffoye),  Mr.,  treasurer,  113. 

Framingham,  Mass.,  174. 

France,  war  with  England,  86. 

Franklin  County,  N.  V.,  117. 

French  and  Indian  War,  150,  153. 

French  and  Indian  enemy,  63. 

French,  in  Canada,  12,  63;  in  Groton, 
108. 

French  Indians,  149. 

French  Neutrals,  171. 

French  Refugees,  170-174. 

French  War,  over,  141. 

Frogly  (Forgly),  Timothy,  paid,  45,  46. 

Frontenac,  Count  de,  scalps  given  to,  66. 

Frontier  garrisons,  list  of,  107. 

Frontier  towns,  So;  law  regarding,  102. 

Frost,  Thomas,  paid,  45,  46. 

Fryeburg,  Maine,  134,  137,  139. 

Fuller,  Micah,  in  Charlestown,  150. 


GAGE,  Edmund,  paid,  147. 
Galaxy  Magazine,  116. 
Garrison-houses  :  refuge  sought  in,  25, 

26;  destroyed,  27 ;  Indians  lodge  in, 

35  ;  location,  61  ;  still  standing,  108. 
Garrisons  :  protection  in,  59 ;  exposed, 

129. 
Gasumbitt  (James  Fox),  Indian,    183- 

185. 
'  Gazetteer  of  Massachusetts,  80. 


INDEX. 


199 


General  Court :  appointment  by,  8 ; 
witness  in,  9;  in  Boston,  10;  entries 
in  manuscript  records,  12  ;  request, 
21  ;  petitions,  47,  55,  68,  70,  77,  81, 
82,89,90,  112,  113,  187;  application 
for  relief,  77,  78;  act  passed,  101  ; 
allowance,  146;  committee,  173; 
grand,  184. 

George,  lake,  N.  Y.,  153,  160. 

George  Farley's  house,  reference  to,  42. 

Gibbet  Hill,  Groton,  192. 

Gilbert,  Captain  Samuel,  company,  176. 

Gill,  William,  paid,  45. 

Gillson,  Michael,  soldier,  128. 

Gillson,  sergeant,  garrison,  107,  108. 

Gilson,  Amasa,  private,  175- 

Gilson,  Benjamin,  private,  175. 

Gilson,  Daniel,  soldier,  165. 

Gilson,  Isaac,  private,  155. 

Gilson,  John :  about  to  leave  Groton, 
104;  fighting  Indians,  134,  135,  168, 
174;  at  Ossipee,  139. 

Gilson,  John,  Jr.,  private  154. 

Gilson,  Joseph:  escape,  135;  private, 
155;  application  of,  156. 

Gilson,  Peter,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Gilson,  Simon:  soldier,  164,  166. 

Gilson,  Solomon,  private,  175. 

Glasco  (Blandford),  Mass.,  allusion,  u. 

Gloucester  (Gloster),  Mass.,  commis- 
sioner from,  42. 

Goble,  Stephen,  paid,  46. 

Goffe,  Colonel,  warrant  from,  130. 

Goff,  John,  paid,  47. 

Gookin,  Major  Daniel:  quoted,  8,  186; 
allusion,  23,  24. 

Goold  (Gould),  Jonathan,  private,  174. 

Goold,  Moses,  soldier,  165. 

Gordon,  Father  Anthony,  joins  Indians, 
119. 

Gould  (Goold),  Corporal  Nehemiah : 
killed,  160;  muster-roll,  164;  firearms 
lost,  1 68. 

Gould,  Nehemiah,  private,  175. 

Gragg  (Grag),  Jacob,  165;  paid,  171; 
bayonet-man,  177. 

Gragg,  John,  soldier,  165. 

Graves,  Benjamin,  paid,  46,  47. 

Great  Road,  Groton,  62. 

Green,  Benjamin,  bayonet-man,  177. 


Green,  Eleazer,  Sr.,  154. 

Green,  Eleazer,  Jr.,  private,  155. 

Green,  Isaac:  private,  152,  155;  ser- 
geant, 175. 

Green,  Jonas,  private,  174. 

Green,  Jonathan,  private,  152,  169. 

Green,  Nathaniel,  paid,  46. 

Green,  Samuel,  private,  175. 

Green,  William :  in  garrison,  61 ;  loca- 
tion, 62. 

Greene,  John,  in  garrison,  61. 

Green  Mountains,  163. 

Griffith,  Richard,  paid,  47. 

Groton  (Croaton,  Grantham,  Grauton, 
Grawten,  Grawton,  Groaten,  Groaton, 
Groatton,  Grooton,  Groten,  Grotten, 
Grotton,  Groughton,  Growton)  :  pri- 
vations of  settlers,  7  ;  Indian  traffic, 
town  burnt,  8  ;  drunken  brawl,  9; 
death  of  Thomas  Dickinson,  10;  testi- 
mony, ii  ;  Indians  and  firearms,  12; 
troops,  Willard  epitaph,  13 ;  war- 
taxes,  Indian  molestation,  14;  de- 
fences, 15;  rescue  of  Brookfielcl, 
Captain  Thomas  Wheeler,  physi- 
cians, 16;  garrisons,  17;  action  of 
council,  iS;  force  lessened,  19;  as- 
sessment in  1675,  2O>  hard  winter, 
21  ;  frontier  perils,  22  ;  dragoons, 
23 ;  threatened  by  Indians,  24 ;  pros- 
perity, houses,  and  garrisons,  25  ; 
assaults,  meeting-house  destroyed, 
26;  Nutting  killed,  27;  sanctuary 
burned,  English  pamphlets  about 
King  Philip's  War,  28 ;  conflagration, 
29;  Hubbard's  account  of  the  sur- 
prizall,  30 ;  palizadoes  and  ambush,  31  ; 
stratagem  of  old  Indian,  babe  cut 
in  pieces,  One-eyed  John,  32;  Indian 
sarcasm,  Indians  shot  by  Captain 
Sill,  33;  conflicting  accounts  recon- 
ciled, 34  ;  ambuscado,  prisoners  for  ran- 
som, Cobbet's  account,  35;  Morse's 
petition,  town  abandoned  by  settlers, 
36;  action  of  council  about  horses 
and  ammunition,  37 ;  the  Adams  pe- 
tition and  Woods  testimony,  38  ; 
critical  season,  report  about  defences, 
39;  stockadocs,  40;  river  stockade, 
41;  report  of  committee,  42;  fam- 


200 


INDEX. 


ilies,  prisoners,  hounds,  43;  church, 
monument,  44  ;  list  of  soldiers- 
45-47  ;  town  re-established,  47  ;  pe- 
tuion  for  help,  48 ;  James  Parker's 
letter  to  the  governor,  49-50 ;  In- 
dian vices,  51  ;  Nicholson's  letter, 
unsettled  condition  of  town,  52  ;  cav- 
alry, military  headquarters,  53  ;  com- 
missary, 54;  surgeon's  bill  lor  John 
Paige,  55 ;  slight  incidents,  56  ;  Si- 
mon Stone's  danger,  Indian  baptism, 
57  ;  Jacob  Indian,  58  ;  garrison  lists, 
59-62  ;  beginning  of  King  William's 
War,  63  ;  accounts  of  Cotton  Mather 
and  Pere  Charlevoix,  64;  allusions 
by  Judge  Sewall  and  the  French, 
65  ;  Canadian  attack,  66 ;  casualties, 
captives,  67;  Shepley  petition,  68; 
allowance,  69  ;  Parker  family's  relief, 
70;  girl  captive,  71;  Indian  expe- 
dition, 1695,  72;  captives  taken  to 
Canada,  73  ;  Longley  family,  74-76; 
straitened  condition  of  the  town,  77; 
petition,  78,  79;  troops  posted,  So; 
men  killed,  Si ;  Holclen  petition, 
short  crops,  82  ;  aid  asked  for,  83  ; 
the  wounded,  84 ;  action  of  council, 
85  ;  Queen  Anne's  War,  Indian  sym- 
pathy with  French,  86  ;  the  Prescotts, 
attack  in  1704,  87;  Governor  Dud- 
ley's order,  88;  renewal  of  hostilities, 
89;  distress  of  the  farmers,  90;  re- 
quest for  relief,  91  ;  assault  in  1706, 
92;  Ilealy  petition,  93;  Seager  pe- 
tition, 94  ;  cruelty  towards  prisoners, 
95;  Butterfield  allowance,  96 ;  settle- 
ment of  Bradstreet,  97  ;  court-mar- 
tial, 98-100;  roving  savages,  101  ; 
desertion  of  frontier  towns,  102-104  ; 
Indian  depredations,  1707-9,  105; 
Shattuck  and  Lawrence  families, 
106  ;  frontier  garrisons,  107  ;  location 
of  houses,  captives,  108;  Tarbell 
children,  captives  in  Canada,  109- 
124;  Indian  enemy,  125;  military 
list,  126;  colonial  payments,  military 
company,  127;  scouts,  128;  Fair- 
banks letters,  129;  medical  services, 
130;  murder  by  Indians,  131  ;  scalps, 
132;  Farnsworth  affair,  133;  Love- 


well's  fight,  134  ;  the  Symmes  sermon, 
135-137;  Paugus,  138;  prisoners  to 
Canada,  139;  Indian  vendetta,  140- 
144;  traditions,  Isaac  Lakin,  145; 
Lovewell's  War,  Eleazer  Davis,  146  ; 
Sartell  petition,  147  ;  dangers  in  1744, 
settlers  in  Charlestown,  No.  4,  148; 
ransoms,  149;  King  George's  War, 
150;  muster-roll,  151;  privates,  152; 
receipts,  relief  to  Fitchburg,  153; 
dangers  in  1748,  154;  list  of  scouts, 
155;  Fort  Dummer,  allowance,  peace, 
156;  last  intercolonial  struggle,  157; 
Lawrence  petition,  Fort  Halifax,  158; 
Woods  petition,  159;  military  ser- 
mon, 160;  Lakin  petition,  161  ;  leg- 
islative action,  162;  roster,  163-167; 
arms  lost,  168;  Crown  Point  expe- 
dition, Lake  George,  169;  Acadia, 
170  ;  French  refugees,  171-173  ;  mus- 
ter-rolls, 174-176;  bayonet-men,  177; 
old  burial-ground,  178;  Indian  prom- 
issory notes,  179-181  ;  land-grants, 
182;  Christmas  town-meeting,  183; 
Indian  bond,  184,  185 ;  monetary  dis- 
satisfaction, 186  ;  Indian  petition, 
187;  farm-grant,  188;  Indian  geo- 
graphic names,  iSS,  189  ;  Indian  name 
for  Groton,  190;  Indian  Melodies, 
191  ;  Gibbet  Hill,  192. 

Groton,  Vt.,  163. 

Gun  :  payment  for,  93  ;  lost,  162. 


HAGAR,  Samuel,  paid,  45,  46. 
Halford,  William,  paid,  45. 
Half-Moon  Meadow,  Groton,  191. 
Half-way    Brook,     153,    159,    160,  162, 

1 68. 
Halifax,  fort,  Maine  :  situation  of,  158  i 

allusion,  159. 

Hall,  Benjamin  H.,  author,  156. 
Hall,  Ephraim,  soldier,  165. 
Hall,  John,  about  to  leave  Groton,  104 
Hall,  Robert,  on  committee,  146. 
Hands,  John,  paid,  47. 
Hanover,  charity  school,  120. 
Hardwick  (Harwidck),  Mass.,  175. 
Harris,  Benjamin,  soldier,  126. 


INDEX. 


2O I 


Harris,  John,  private,  152. 

Hartwell  (Hartwill),  Ebenezer,  bayo- 
net-man, 177. 

Hartwell,  Edward,  sergeant,  126,  127. 

Hartwell,  James,  private,  152. 

Hartwell,  Joseph,  soldier,  164. 

Hartwell,  Major,  in  command,  153. 

Hartwell,  Nathan,  private,  153. 

Harvard,  Mass.,  175. 

Harvard  College,  62,  191. 

Harvest  season,  So. 

Hassanamesit,  Indians  ordered  to  re- 
side at,  18. 

Hassell,  Benjamin:  coward,  136;  false 
report  of,  138. 

Hasting,  Josiah,  private,  152. 

Hathorne,  William,  witness,  10. 

Haverhill,  Mass. :  headquarters,  53  ; 
History  of,  Si. 

Havre,  France,  122. 

Hawes,  John,  paid,  45. 

Hawkins  (Ilaukins),  William,  butcher 
and  surgeon,  16,  17. 

Hawley,  Mass.,  178. 

Haywood,  John,  author,  So. 

Healy,  Nathaniel,  killed,  93. 

Hemenway,  Miss  A.  M.,  authoress, 
161,  163. 

Henchman  (Hinchman,  Hinchmanes, 
Hincksman),  Thomas:  lieutenant,  17; 
captain,  19;  account,  63;  major,  So; 
witness,  185. 

Henchman's  farm,  letter  from,  49. 

Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  124. 

High  School,  Groton,  25. 

Hill,  General  A.  Harleigh,  author,  163. 

Hill,  Israel,  paid,  45. 

Hill,  Jonathan,  paid,  46. 

Hill,  Nathaniel,  paid,  46. 

Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  175. 

Historical  Memoirs,  sermon,  135 

History  of  Charlestown,  N.  II.,  150. 

History  of  Chelmsforcl,  Mass.,  107. 

History  of  Dunstable,  Mass.,  43,  141. 

History  of  Eastern  Vermont,  1 56. 

History  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  153. 

History  of  Groton,  Mass.,  144,  163. 

History    of    Manchester,    N.   H.,    136, 

138- 

History  of  New  France,  64. 


History  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin 
Counties,  N.  Y.,  117. 

History  of  the  Christian  Indians,  S,  186. 

History  of  the  Province  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay,  66,  116. 

History  of  the  Wars  of  New  England, 
27,  28,  131. 

Hoar,  president  of  Harvard  College,  62. 

Hoar  (Hore),  Samuel,  152. 

Hoare,  John,  left  Groton,  104. 

Hobart  (Hubbard),  Rev.  Gershom,  62, 
64,  89,  154;  family  casualties,  67; 
disability,  91  ,  garrison,  107, 108,  112 

Hobart,  Israel  (Isael)  :  corporal,  151, 
164;  paid,  172. 

Hobart,  Jeremiah,  private,  155. 

Hobart,  John,  private,  169. 

Hobbs,  Captain  Humphrey,  his  com- 
pany, 174,  175. 

Holden  (Holdin,  Holding,  Holdings, 
Moulding),  Amos,  private,  152. 

Holden,  Asa,  private,  174. 

Holden,  Charles,  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
150. 

llolden,  Isaac:  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
150;  private,  154;  sergeant,  174. 

Holden,  John,  captured,  Si,  82. 

Holden,  Jonathan,  private,  154,  175. 

Holden,  Joshua,  bayonet-man,  177, 

Holden,  Mr.,  garrison,  107,  108. 

Holden,  Stephen  (Steven):  in  garrison, 
60;  captured,  Si,  82;  ensign,  154. 

Holden,  Stephen,  Jr.,  captured,  Si. 

Hollingsworth's  paper-mills,  105,  131. 

Hollis  road,  Groton,  73,  108. 

Homer,  Rev.  Jonathan,  authority,  92. 

Hore,  Samuel  (Sam'll),  private,  152. 

Houghton,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  126. 

Hough,  Dr.  Franklin  B.,  author,  117, 
1 20. 

Hound  Meadow  Hill,  name    received, 

43- 
House  of  Representatives,  85,  89;  vote 

about  the  Iloldens,  Si  ;  tax  vote,  84. 
Howard  &  Richardson,  allusion,  112. 
How,  Nehcmiah,  private,  175. 
Hubbard's  ambuscado,  35. 
Hubbard,  John,  ransom  paid  by,  36. 
Hubbard,  Jonathan,  petition,  127. 
Hubbard,  Rev.  Mr.     (See  Ilobart.) 


2O2 


INDEX. 


Hubbarcl,    Rev.    William :    account  of 
King  Philip's  War,    27  ;     narrative, 

29>  33.  36>  43- 

Huberd  (Hobart?),  Mr.,  112. 
Huchin    (Ilutchins),    John,    about    to 

leave  Groton,  104. 
Hull,  John,  treasurer  of  Massachusetts, 

44- 

Hull's  /ournal,  44. 

Humhaw  Brook,  Westford,  iSS. 

Hunt,  Ephraim,  signature,  98. 

Hutchins  (Huchin),  Nicholas,  in  garri- 
son, 60. 

Hutchinson,  Governor,  quoted,  66,  116. 


IMPLEMENTS,  stone,  discovered,  7. 

Indian  corn,  79. 

Indian,  Jacob,  57. 

Indian  Melodies,  191. 

Indian  summer,  142. 

Indian,  surname,  57. 

Indian  Wars,  brave  men  in,  56. 

Indians :  characteristics,  7  ;  love  of 
drink,  8,  10,  51 ;  murder,  9;  supplied 
with  arms,  n,  12;  burn  towns,  20, 
36;  prowling,  25;  ambush,  27,  31, 
32,  137  ;  rifle  houses,  30;  onset,  31  ; 
infant  cut  in  pieces,  32 ;  swine-hunt- 
ing, 33;  feasted,  34;  hellhounds  and 
cowards,  35;  killed,  38;  stockade 
against,  41,  42  ;  given  Christian 
names,  57  ;  murdering,  62  ;  hatchets, 
63 ;  children  guarded  by,  66 ;  pris- 
oners, 72  ;  pilates,  8 1  ;  sympathy  with 
French,  86 ;  cruelty,  94 ;  bounty  for 
killing,  96;  jealousy,  118;  treaties 
with  governor  of  New  York,  119; 
pope's  questions,  122;  scalps,  132; 
hunting,  134;  prisoners  sent  to  Can- 
ada, 139;  land-titles,  186. 

Ipswich,  Mass.,  121  ;  commissioner 
from,  42. 

Israel,  the  New  England,  15. 

JAMES'S  Brook,  garrison-houses,  25,  27, 

151. 

James,  Indian,  180. 
Jeffries,  David,  letter  to,  63. 


Jeffries,  William  Lloyd,  letter  in  pos- 
session of,  63. 

Jefts,  Henry,  private,  155. 

Jefts,  John,  killed,  134. 

Jenkins,  Ann,  testimony  of,  73. 

Jerusalem,  allusion,  49. 

Jethro,  Old,  Indian,  33. 

Jewet,  Nehemiah,  speaker,  79. 

Jewett,  Abel,  private,  153. 

Jewett,  Neha,  private,  154. 

Johnson,  Lot,  paid,  45. 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Susanna,  captured,  149. 

Johnson,  Stephen,  private,  152. 

Jones,  Captain  Ephraim,  company, 
176. 

Jones,  Colonel  Elisha,  166. 


KAMP  (Kemp),  Zerrubbubl  (Zerubba- 
bel),  about  to  leave  Groton,  104. 

Ka-re-ko-wo,  Indian  youth,  118. 

Keene  (Keen),  N.  H.,  175. 

Kellogg,  Joseph,  treasurer  for  the  Tar- 
bells,  114. 

Kemp  (Kamp,  Kempt),  Ebenezer,  bayo- 
net man,  177. 

Kemp,  Hezekiah,  private,  165,  176. 

Kemp,  Jabez,  private,  176. 

Kemp,  John,  private,  155,  176. 

Kemp,  Joseph,  soldier,  165. 

Kemp,  Oliver,  private,  176. 

Kemp,  Phineas,  private,  175. 

Kemp,  Samuel :  private,  152;  in  gar- 
rison, 59. 

Kemp.  Samuel,  Jr.,  private,  154,  165. 

Kemp,  Silas,  private,  165-167. 

Kemp,  Stephen,  private,  165-167. 

Kemp,  Zerubbabel,  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton, 104. 

Kennebec  Indians,  more  successful  than 
the  Penobscot,  65. 

Kennebec  River,  expedition  up,  157. 

Kerley  (Carlors),  Lieutenant,  daugh- 
ter set  at  liberty,  35. 

Ketle,  Goodwife,  ransomed,  35. 

Kidder,  Benjamin,  sick,  136,  139. 

Kidder,  James,  petitioner,  19. 

Kimball,  Jacob,  191. 

Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  allusion,  112. 


INDEX. 


203 


King  Philip's  War :  letters  on,  28 ;  A 
New  and  Further  Narration,  29;  a 
friendly  Indian  in,  186. 

Kingstown  (Palmer),  Mass.,  112. 

Kissacook  Hill,  Westford,  188. 

Knop,  James  :  representative,  52,  53;  in 
garrison,  60. 

Knox  manuscripts,  76. 


LACHINE,  Canada,  convent  at,  109. 

Lakin  (Laken,  Lakers,  Largin,  Larkin), 
Abraham,  about  to  leave  Groton,  104. 

Lakin,  Ambrose,  private,  152. 

Lakin,  Benjamin  (Benimin),  about  to 
leave  Groton,  104. 

Lakin,  Ebenezer,  private,  155. 

Lakin,  Isaac,  134,  135;  wounded,  106; 
story,  145. 

Lakin,  Isaac,  Jr.,  155. 

Lakin,  Jacob,  soldier,  126. 

Lakin,  John,  44,  161  ;  ensign,  52,  53 ; 
in  garrison,  59 ;  its  location,  62 ;  pri- 
vate, 174. 

Lakin,  Joseph  :  signature,  91 ;  select- 
man, town-clerk,  103 ;  about  to  leave 
Groton,  104. 

Lakin,  Josiah,  about  to  leave  Groton, 
104. 

Lakin,  Miriam,  161. 

Lakin,  Nathaniel,  soldier,  164. 

Lakin,  Oliver  :  sergeant,  161,  168  ;  peti- 
tion, 162;  bayonet-man,  177. 

Lakin,  Simon,  private,  165-167,  176. 

Lakin,  Simon,  Jr.,  176. 

Lakin,  Thomas,  private,  155. 

Lakin,  William:  ensign  and  lieutenant, 
12;  on  committee,  20;  in  garrison, 
59,  107,  108 ;  house  attacked,  64,  66. 
74;  selectman,  79;  about  to  leave 
Groton,  104. 

Lamorandiere,  Jacques  Urbain  Robert 
de,  godfather,  110. 

Lancaster  (  Lanchester,  Lankester, 
Lankstar,)  :  Mass  ,  7,  23,  35,  52,  80, 
88,  89,  127,  175,  179,  186,  189;  traffic, 
8;  Willard  there,  13  ;  raid,  15  ;  garri- 
sons, 17,  130;  catastrophe,  30;  boast 
concerning,  33  ;  helpful,  38 ;  compul- 


sory  removal,  40 ;  escape  to,  43 ;  gov- 
ernor's tour,  86;  Indian  attack,  87  : 
Captain  Bulkley  there,  102;  comman- 
der from,  125,  126;  enlistment,  126; 
men  posted,  129;  men  there,  146; 
men  from,  153.  (See  Nashua.) 

Langly,  Lidey  (Lydia),  captive,  72. 
(See  Longley.) 

Lawrence  (Larrance,  Larraness,  Law- 
ranc,  Lawrance,  Lorinc),  family, 
154. 

Lawrence,  Abel :  paid,  173;  corporal, 
177. 

Lawrence,  Amos:  sergeant,  151  ;  paid, 
171. 

Lawrence,  Anna  (Tarbell),  mother  of 
captain,  150. 

Lawrence,  Benjamin,  paid,  172. 

Lawrence,  Captain,  biography,  151. 

Lawrence,  Colonel  William,  letter,  169, 
170. 

Lawrence,  Daniel,  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton, 104. 

Lawrence,  Enoch  (Enosh):  in  garrison, 
59 ;  location,  62  ;  wounded,  84,  85, 
1 06. 

Lawrence,  Ensign  (Insine),  182. 

Lawrence,  James,  owner  of  Tarbell 
farm,  124. 

Lawrence,  John  :  in  garrison,  61  ;  father 
of  captain,  151. 

Lawrence,  Jonathan:  in  garrison,  60 ; 
signature,  97 ;  private,  155. 

Lawrence,  Joseph,  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton, 104. 

_ .  ». 

Lawrence,  Lieutenant,  in  garrison,  107. 

Lawrence,  Nathaniel,  184:  ensign,  12; 
in  garrison,  60  ;  soldier,  128;  bayonet- 
man,  177. 

Lawrence,  Peleg,  in  garrison,  60,  186. 
Lawrence,  Thomas  :  private,  152,  155, 
163  ;  lieutenant,  157  ;  biography,  160 ; 
captain,   166-168. 
I  Lawrence,  William:  soldier,  126,  128; 

clerk,  155;  guardian,  164. 
Lawrence,  Prudence,  160. 
i  Lawrence,   Zachariah,   about   to   leave 

Groton,  104. 

Lawrence  Academy,  Groton,  62. 
1  Leber,  signature,  77. 


204 


INDEX. 


Lecture  (lecter)  day,  102. 

Leominster,  Mass.,  people  in,  150. 

Lessley,  George,  private,  176. 

Leverett,  Governor  John,  Parker's  cor- 
respondence with,  14;  allusion,  24. 

Levy,  Groton,  77. 

Lisle,  John,  allusion,  62. 

Littleton,  Mass.,  175,  188,  189;  men 
from,  1 53. 

Londonderry,  N.  IL,  136. 

Lodowick,  Mr.,  in  Boston,  65. 

Longfellow,  H.  W.,  poet,  170. 

Longley  family,  sad  story,  73,  74. 

Longley,  Betty,  captive,  75. 

Longley,  John  :  casualties  in  family,  67  ; 
captive,  75;  return,  76. 

Longley,  Jonathan,  sentinel,  151. 

Longley,  Joseph,  wounded,  178. 

Longley,  Joseph,  Jr.,  death,  178. 

Longley,  Lydia  Madeleine  :  captive,  75  ; 
signature,  77.  (See  Langly.) 

Longley,  William:  constable,  14;  on 
committee,  20;  in  garrison,  59;  ac- 
count of,  71;  town-clerk,  murdered, 
75  ;  family,  106. 

Longley,  Zachariah  (Zechcria),  private, 
152- 

Lorette,  Canada,  boys  from,  120. 

Louisburg,  N.  S.,  death  in,  150. 

Lovewell,  Captain  John,    134,  144. 

Lovewell  Lamented,  134. 

Lovewell's  Fight,  107. 

Lovewell's  Pond,  134-144;  company 
arrives  there,  137. 

Lovewell's  War,  end  of,  146. 

Lowden,  Richard,  petitioner,  41. 

Lowell,  Mass.,  187  :  Wamesit  Indians 
near,  22. 

Lower  Regiment,  Middlesex  County, 
87,  88. 

Lund,  Thomas,  soldier,  126. 

Lunenburg  (Luninburg),  Mass.,  174, 
175  :  people  in,  150. 

Lynn  (Linne),  Mass.,  commissioner,  42. 


MACCARROLL   (Mach  Charril),    Barna- 
bas (Barnibus),  paid,  171. 
Magnalia,  Mather's,  56,  6^,  71,  Si. 
Mahmachecomak,  180;  signature,  181. 


Main  Street,  Groton,  62,  151. 

Maiden  (Maulden),  Mass. :  constable  of, 
37  ;  commissioner  from,  42. 

Manchester,  Mass.,  commissioner  from. 
42. 

Manchester,  Wis.,  191. 

Marcoux,  Rev.  Fran9ois,  parish  priest, 
123. 

Marine  and  Colonies,  Archives,  64. 

Marlborough  (Malbery,  Malbury,  Marl- 
borow,  Marlbors'),  Mass.,  23,  So,  88, 
187;  Hawkins  sent  there,  16;  Indians, 
18 ;  surprise,  105. 
I  Marseilles,  France,  122. 

Marshall's  Diary,  89,  92. 
j  Marshall,  John/S". 
j  Marshall,  Margaret,  age,  173. 

Marsh,  James  Rumbly,  witness,  185, 
1 86. 

Martin,  Samuel,  private,  175. 

Martin's  Pond  road,  Groton,  67, 

Massachusetts  :  S.  Willard  in,  13  ;  offer 
made  by,  133,  134. 

Massachusetts  Archives,  references,  10, 
15,  17,  19,  20,  24,  36,  37,43,  49,  54,  58, 
64,69,  71-73,  79,80,82,84,85,  91,93, 
94,  96,  97,  101,  104,  107,  109,  113,  U4( 
126,  128,  130,  133,  146,  155,  158-173, 
187. 

Massachusetts  (masiacheusits)  Bay, 
70;  province  of,  84. 

Massachusetts  Colony,  16,  22,  184. 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society  Col- 
lections, 67,  86,  87,  92,  95,  104,  174. 

Mason,  Hugh,  petitioner,  41. 

Massapoag  Pond,  iSS. 

Mather,  Rev.  Cotton,  quoted,  56,  63, 
71,  81. 

Mather,  Rev.  Increase  :  quoted,  27,  28 ; 
letter  to,  35. 

Mather  Manuscripts,  35. 

Maulden  (Maiden),  Mass.,  constable  of, 

37- 

Meadforcl  (Medford),  Mass.,  commis- 
sioner from,  42. 

Medfield,  Mass.,  boast  of  John  Monaco 
concerning,  33. 

Medford   (Meadford,   Metford),  Mass., 

42,  175- 
Meeting-house  monument,  44. 


INDEX. 


2O: 


Mel vin,  Captain,  promise,  159. 

Memorial  of  the  Present  Deplorable 
State  of  New  England,  95. 

Meriel,  pretre,  signature,  no. 

Merrimack  River:  allusion  to,  7,  169; 
Indians  on  the  east  side,  18;  garrison, 
19 ;  hunting  on  side,  50;  Indians  cross. 
66;  attack  near,  74;  military  pas- 
sage, 80. 

Merrimack  Valley,  braw!  there,  9. 

Metcalf  (Medcalf),  Joseph,  bayonet- 
man,  177. 

Metford  (Medford),  Mass.,  175. 

Micheson,  Thomas,  paid,  45. 

Middlesex  County,  Mass.,  17,  39,  40; 
troopers  in,  12;  committee,  41; 
court,  179;  governor's  tour,  86;  reg- 
iments, 87 ;  company  disbanded,  146. 

Middlesex  Probate  Office,  no;  inven- 
tory in,  26. 

Middlesex  Registry  of  Deeds,  183. 

Middlesex  Upper  Regiment,  at  Groton, 

53- 

Miles,  Hezekiah,  Indian,  72. 
Military  watch,  64. 
Millard,  Humphrey,  paid,  47. 
Mill,  Captain's,  garrison,  107,  108. 
Missionary  tour  in  Maine,  108. 
Mohokes  (Mohawks),  50. 
Monaco  (Monoco),  John  :  principal   in 

burning  of  Groton,  8  ;  captain  of   In- 
dians, 32. 
Monadnock   Mountain :    Indians  near, 

99;    Wayman   there,    101  ;    Indians 

scalp-hunting  there,  133. 
Montreal,   Canada,  76,   109,    117,   122; 

prisoner  there,  149. 
Moody,  Samuel,  on  committee,  146. 
Moore,  Captain  Jacob,  commander  of 

cavalry,  53. 
Moors  (Mores),  Timothy,  bayonet-man, 

154,  177- 

Moosehillock,  Groton,  143. 
Morse  (Mors,    Moss),  Jeremiah,  paid, 

44,  46. 
Morse,  John  :   town-clerk,   35  ;    ransom, 

36-  43- 

Morse,  Jonathan,  clerk,  183. 
Moseley  (Mosseley),  Captain   Samuel, 

16;  helps  Parker,  14;  letter,  15. 


Moses  and  Aaron,  allusion,  83. 
Moss-house,  first,  108. 
Mousal,  constable,  37. 
Mulpus  Brook,  Shirley,  188. 
Muster-roll  of  Captain  Lawrence's  com- 
pany, 163. 

Mutiny,  ringleaders,  98. 
Myrick,  John,  92. 


NAGOG  Pond,  Littleton,  188. 

Nahamcok,  Indian  village,  50. 

Nahaughton,  Will,  petition,  187. 

Narrative  of  the  Captivity  of  Mrs.  John- 
son, 149. 

Narrative  of  the  Troubles  with  the  In- 
dians in  New  England,  29 

Nashoba  (Littleton),  Mass.,  hill  and 
brook,  189. 

Nashua  '(Nashaway,  Nashowah,  Nash- 
oway),  Mass.,  Moseley  there,  15. 
(See  Lancaster.) 

Nashua,  N.  H.,  141. 

Nashua  River,  133,  184,  189,  190;  Indi- 
ans there,  87;  enemy  upon,  96;  Shat- 
tucks  near,  105;  north  side,  131;  log- 
house,  145. 

Nashua  tribe,  few  families  belonging 
to,  7. 

Nashua  Valley,  savages  there,  7. 

Nashubah  (Nashoba),  Mass.,  Indians 
there,  18. 

Nason,  Rev.  Elias,  quoted,  43. 

Nasquuns,  John,  drunkard,  51. 

Nassacombewit,  Indian,  67. 

Natacook  Indians,  18. 

Nathaniel,  principal  Indian,  8. 

Natick,  Mass.,  184. 

Nehatchechin,  drunken  squaw,  51. 

Nerigawag  (Norridgewock),  Maine, 
67. 

Newbury  (Newbery),  Mass.,  situation, 
42. 

New  England  :  ebbing  waters  in,  33 ; 
wish  of  Indian  regarding,  in;  allu- 
sion, 121. 

New  England  Courant,  131. 

New  England  Historical  and  Genealo- 
gical Register,  1 1 1. 


2O6 


INDEX. 


New   England    Historic    Genealogical 

Society,  22,  44,  71. 
New  England's  Tears,  by  B.  Tompson, 

'3- 

New  Hampshire,  8 ;  Concord  in,  9 ; 
allusion,  52  ;  offer  made  by,  133,  134. 

Newichewanick  (Berwick),  Maine,  53. 

News  from  New  England,  in  London 
pamphlets,  29. 

Newton  (New  Cambridge),  Mass.,  His- 
tory and  men  of,  92. 

New  York  City,  122. 

New  York,  Colonial  History  of,  72. 

New  York  State,  Dutch  in,  12. 

Nichols  (Nicholes),  Benjamin,  soldier, 
126. 

Nichols,  Captain  Thomas,  at  court- 
martial,  98. 

Nichols,  Colonel  Ebenezer,  regiment, 
166-168. 

Nichols,  Samuel,  private,  152. 

Nicholson,  Captain    Francis,  letter,  52. 

Nissitisset  River,  Pepperell,  189. 

Nod,  Groton  locality,  62. 

Nomanacomak  :  Indian,  180;  signature, 
181. 

Nonacoicus  (Coicus),  62,  187,  189;  in 
Aver,  13  ;  Major  Willard's  quarters, 
24. 

Nonantinooah,  Jacob,  certificates  re- 
lating to,  57,  58. 

Norfolk,  Mass.,  a  different  county,  17. 

Norridgewock  (Nerigawag,  Norridge- 
awocke,  Norridgwogg),  Maine,  67, 
72,  73  ;  man  brought  to,  108. 

North  Common,  Groton,  67. 

Northfield,  Mass.,  169;  land  adjoining, 
147. 

Northampton,  Mass.,  letter  from,  167. 

Notre  Dame,  Congregation,  record 
there,  no. 

Norway,  N.  Y.,  Tarbell's  death  there, 
124. 

Nourse,  Henry  Stedman,  179. 

Nova  Scotia,  150,  170;  expedition,  174. 

Nubanussuck  Pond,  \Yestford,  189. 

Nutfield  (Londonderry),  X.  II.,  136. 

Nutting  (Xutten),  Benjamin,  soldier, 
165. 

XTutting,  Ebenezer,  left  Groton,  104. 


Xutting,  Ephraim,  Jr.,  bayonet-man, 
177- 

Nutting,  Ezekiel,  private,  155. 

X'utting,  Isaac,  165. 

Xutting,  Isaac,  Jr.,  private,  166,  167. 

Xutting,  Jacob,  private,  175;  bayonet- 
man,  177. 

Xutting,  James  :  in  garrison,  59  ;  signa- 
ture, 91. 

Xutting,  John  :  house  used  as  garrison, 
25  ;  killed  43 ;  in  garrison,  59 ;  soldier, 
165,  1 66. 

Xutting,  John,  Jr.,  private,  155,  165. 

Xutting,  Jonathan:  private,  153;  peti- 
tion, 156. 

XTutting,  Joseph,  165. 

Xutting,  X'athaniel,  private,  169. 

Xutting,  Simeon,  soldier,  165. 

XTutting,  \Yilliam  :  testimony,  100 ;  pri- 
vate, 155;  paid,  172. 


OAKES,  Thomas,  speaker,  96. 
Old  South  Church,  pastor  of,  65. 
"  One-eyed  John  "  (nickname  for  Mon- 
aco), 8,  32. 

Osgood,  Benjamin,  soldier,  126. 
Osgood,  Captain  Thomas,  his  company, 

J75- 

Osgood,  David,  soldier,  126. 
Ossipee    (Ossipy),    XT.    H.,   fort   there, 

136,  139- 

Ossipee  River,  134. 

Outlands,  neglected,  97. 

Outlying  towns,  condition  of,  102. 

Out-towns,  law  regarding,  101. 

Oyster    River  (Durham),  N.  H.,   allu- 
sions, 72,  73. 


PAGE  (Pag,  Paige),  Benjamin,  private, 

1 52- 
Page,  John:  witness,  9,  10;  on  com- 
mittee, 20,  182;  in  Canada',  54;  peti- 
tion, 55  ;  his  son,  56;  in  garrisons,  61  ; 
sergeant,  154;  paid,  171;  corporal, 
184. 

Page,  Jonathan,  about  to  leave  Groton, 
104. 


INDEX. 


207 


Page,   Joseph:  corporal,  151;    soldier, 

165;  bayonet-man,  177. 
Page,  Joseph,  Jr.,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Palisades,  pulled  down,  27. 
Palmer,  Mass.,  112. 
Palmer,  Benjamin,  settled  in  garrison, 

59- 

Pamphlets  on  King  Philip's  War,  28. 
Paris,  France,  64,  122. 
Parish  (Paris,  Parrish),  John,  182,  184} 

in  garrison,  59. 
Parish,  Robert,  witness,  9. 
Parker  family,  prominent,  154. 
Parker,  Abiel,  sergeant,  174. 
Parker,  Abigail,  in  garrison,  61. 
Parker,    Benjamin,     under     Lovewell, 

135- 

Parker,  Captain  Josiah  :  town-clerk, 
52>  5°»  57;  quoted,  70;  petition, 
71;  Nathaniel  Healy  under,  93  ; 
court-martial,  98;  letter,  102. 

Parker,  Eleazer  (Eliezar)  :  constable, 
84 ;  soldier,  165. 

Parker,  Ephraim,  private,  174. 

Parker,  Gideon,  private,  174. 

Parker,  James,  Sr. :  acquaintance  with 
Monaco,  8;  lieutenant  and  captain, 
12,  52,  53,  59,  82;  letters,  14,  15,  49, 
50;  at  Dunstable,  19;  on  commit- 
tee, 20  ;  suppliant,  22,  23 ;  escape  to 
house  of.  27  ;  garrison,  32,  59,  62 ; 
house  fired,  35;  Indians  on  land,  38; 
selectman,  79 ;  sergeant,  192. 

Parker,  James,  Jr. :  casualties  in  fam- 
ily, 67;  killed,  children  captives,  70. 

Parker,  John,  Jr.,  private,  155. 

Parker,  Jonas,  private,  155. 

Parker,  Jonathan  :  paid,  45 ;  private, 
152. 

Parker,  Joseph  :  testimony,  58  ;  in  gar- 
rison, 6l  ;  private,  155. 

Parker,  Lemuel,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Parker,  Leonard,  soldier,  165,  166. 

Parker,  Lieutenant  Isaac,  148;  captured, 
149. 

Parker,  Nathaniel :  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton,  104;  private,  155, 165,  166;  paid, 
171. 

Parker,  Obadiah,  sergeant,  151. 

Parker,  Oliver,  soldier,  164. 


Parker,  Peter,   private,    155;    bayonet- 
man,  177. 
Parker,    Phinehas   (Phinias)  :    child   of 

James,  Jr.,  70;  soldier,  126;  sergeant, 

128;  private,  175. 
Parker,  Samuel :   in  garrison,   59,    107  ; 

selectman,  84   97;  signature,  91. 
Parker,  Silas,  private,  175. 
Parker,  William,  soldier,  165. 
Parker,  William,  Jr.,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Parker,  Zachariah,  in  garrison,  59. 
Parkhurst,  Joel,  not  enlisted,  166. 
Parkman,  Francis,  historian,  64. 
Partridges  in  St.  Regis,  119. 
Pascaud,  M.  Etienne,  signature,  no. 
Pasmore,  Richard,  paid,  47.  •$. 

Patatuck,  Jacob,  Indian,  183-185. 
Patch,  Jonathan,  private,  152. 
Patch,  Isaac,  private,  169. 
Patch,  Isaac,  Jr.,  private,  155,  169. 
Patterson    (Paterson),   Joseph  :    scout, 

154;  private,  175. 
Paugus  :   Indian  chief,  134,  137;  killed 

by  John  Chamberlain,  138,  139;    his 

avengers,  140-145. 
Paugus's  Hole,  145. 
Paugus  Brook,  145. 
Payne,  Thomas,  servant,  n. 
Pearce,  Simon,  sergeant,  154. 
Peirce,  Stephen,  soldier,  165. 
Penacook  ( Penecooke,  Penicooke,  Pen- 

nakooke,  Pennycooke),now  Concord, 

N.  II.,  9-11,  52;    Indians  there,    18; 

not  advisable  to  go  there,  19. 
Penhallow,   Judge    Samuel,    historian, 

87,92,94,95,  131,  132. 
Penobscot  Indians,  65. 
Pepperell  (Pepperrell,  Pepperil),  Mass., 

173,  175,  188. 
Pequawket     (Pequaket,    Piggwacket) : 

fight    there,    107,    134,    142 ;     tribe, 

'37- 
Perham   (Paraham,    Parham,  Perrum), 

John  :  in  garrison,  60;  sergeant,  100. 
Perham,  Joseph,  leaving  Groton,  104. 
Perry,  Obadiah,  soldier,  165. 
Petaupaukett  (Petapawage,  Petapawav, 

Petapowok,  Petobawok),  Indian  name 

of  Groton,  179,  189. 
Peter,  the  Big  Speak,  120. 


208 


INDEX. 


Pettipaug  (Pautapaug,  Poattapoge, 
Potabauge),  Indian  name  for  Say- 
brook  (Essex),  Conn.,  190. 

Phelps,  Jonathan:  private,  165-167; 
bayonet-man,  177. 

Philbrick  (Filbrick,  Filbrook,  Philbrek, 
Philbrook),  Ephraim  (Ephrain)  :  in 
garrison,  60,  107  ;  private,  153. 

Phillips,  Seth,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Phips,  Hon.  Spencer,  letter,  169,  170. 

Phips,  Sir  William,  governor,  55. 

Physicians,  136;  scarcity  of,  16. 

Pierce,  Daniel,  in  garrison,  60. 

Pierce,  Isaac,  private,  152. 

Pierce,  Jonathan,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Pierce,  Stephen,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Pierce,  Thomas,  167. 

Piggwacket  (Pequawket),  fight,  135,  136. 

Pike,  Rev.  John,  journal,  65,  92,  104. 

Piscatacjua  (Pescadoue),  64. 

Pollard,  Daniel,  private,  155. 

Pollard,  Joseph,  paid,  47. 

Pompequoonet  (Mr.  John),  185. 

Pontchartrain,  minister,  64. 

Pootuppog  (bay),  190. 

Portland,  Maine,  68. 

Potapaco  (Port  Tobacco),  Md.,  190. 

Potomac  River,  190. 

Potter,  John,  paid,  47. 

Potter,  Judge  Chandler  Eastman,  au- 
thor, 136,  138. 

Powers,  David,  Jr.,  private,  152. 

Powers,  Pilot  Jerahl,  private,  154. 

Powers,  Thomas,  private,  152. 

Pratt,  John :  succeeds  Chubbuck,  54 ; 
corporal,  151. 

Pratt,  Jonathan,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Prescott  (Prescot)  family,  prominent, 
154. 

Prescott,  Abigail   Oliver,  151. 

Prescott,  Benjamin  :  151  ;  treasurer, 
127  ;  ordered  to  garrison,  128. 

Prescott,  Captain  Jonathan,  at  court- 
martial,  98. 

Prescott,  Colonel  Charles,  166. 

Prescott,  Colonel  William  :  ancestry, 
87;  company-clerk,  i;i,  152. 

Prescott,  Dr.  Oliver,  paid,  172. 

Prescott,  James  :  lieutenant.  151  ;  paid, 
'55-  I7l  '•  guardian,  165,  captain,  177. 


Prescott,  Jonas :  lieutenant,  52,  53  ; 
in  garrison,  60;  captain,  86;  signa- 
ture, 91,97;  court-martial,  9^  ;  daugh- 
ters, 151. 

Prescott,  Jonathan  :  chyrurgeon,  bill  of, 
56;  private,  155- 

Prescott,   William    Hickling,  historian, 

87- 

Priest,  Eleazer,  captured,  150. 

Priest,  John,  private,  152. 

Priest,  Joseph,  150. 

Prince  Collection,  35. 

Prisoners,  sold  to  the  French,  66. 

Prout,  Captain,  orders  issued  to,  53. 

Prout,  Ebcnezer,  clerk,  54. 

Province  galley,  71,  82, 

Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  172. 


QUABOG  (Quabauge,  Quobaog,  Quoah- 

bauge),    Brookfield,     Mass.,     14-19; 

sagamore  of,  33. 
Quagnisheman  (James  Indian),  of  Cat- 

taconamak,  179. 
Quannapohit  (Quanapaug,  James  Rum- 

bly  Marsh),  186. 
Quebec,  Canada,  120,  122;  journey  to, 

Hi;  allusion,  141. 
Quincy,  Josiah,  speaker,  114,  115. 
Quosopanagon    (Ponikin,    Quasaponi- 

kin),  meadow  and  hill,  189. 


RA\VSON,  "Edward,  secretary,  10,  n,  17, 

!Q.  24,  37,  43.  49 
Read,  John,  on  committee,  115. 
Read,  Samuel,  paid,  44. 
Red  Bridge,  Groton,  7. 
Reading  (Redding,  Reding),  Mass.,  So  ; 

commissioner  from,  42. 
Reed,  Captain,  169. 
Region,  Thomas,  paid,  47. 
Relation,  French,  65. 
Remington,  Jonathan,  commissary,  54. 
Ripley,  Rev.  Sylvanus,  in  Canada,  120- 

122. 
Representatives,   House   of,  6S.  91.  9-;. 

95-97,    114,    125,    127,   130,    132,    146, 

'53.  i  S6- '59- 


INDEX. 


209 


Revolution,  soldiers  in  the,  154. 
Rice,  Charles,  private,  175. 
Richardson,  Benjamin,  soldier,  165. 
Richardson,  Jephthah  (Japtha),  private, 

169. 

Richmond  (Richman's)  Island,  81. 
Robbins  (Robin),  Robert  (Robart),  186; 

in  garrison,  60;  selectman,  97. 
Robins,  Benjamin,  private,  175. 
Robins,  Elijah,  private,  175. 
Robins,  Isaac,  private,  176. 
Robins,  Philip,  165. 
Robins,  Robert,  Jr.,  private,  153. 
Robinson,  Amos,  private,  152. 
Robinson,  James,  in  garrison,  59. 
Rockwood,  Elisha,  sergeant,  177. 
Rockwood,    Elisha,   Jr.,    bayonet-man, 

177- 
Rogers,  William,   Jr.:   signature,    113; 

money  owed  to,  116. 
Rome,  Italy,  122. 
Ropes,  holding  up,  139. 
Rouse  (Rouce),  Alexander:  casualties 

in  family,  67  ;  killed,  71. 
Rouse,  Tamasin  (Thomasine) :  at  Casco 

Bay,  71  ;  captive,  82. 
Rowley,  Mass.,  commissioner  from,  42. 
Roxbury,  Mass. :  boast  concerning,  33  ; 

governor  at,  103. 

Rumney  Marsh  (Chelsea),  Mass.,  186. 
Rundlett,  holding  six  gallons,  n. 
Rural  Harmony,  191. 
Russel,  Mr.,  quoted,  108. 
Russell,  Elijah,  editor,  140. 
Russell,  John,  on  committee,  146. 
Russell's  Echo,  140. 
Rutland,  Mass.:  men  there,  146;  scout 

in,  129. 
Rye  and  Indian,  142. 


SACO  Pond,  company,  137. 
Sagamore  John,  187. 
Sagamore  Sam,  33. 
Sa-kon-en-tsi-ask,  Indian  chief,  118. 
Salem,  Mass.,  115,  191  ;  commissioners 

from,  42. 

Saltonstall,  Governor,  quoted,  133. 
Salmon  Falls,  N.  H.,  54. 


Salt,  supplied,  53. 

Sanders,  William,  in  garrison,  59. 

Saunders,  David,  private,  175. 

Saunderson,  Rev.  Henry  11.,  author, 
150. 

Saunderson,  William,  drummer,  175. 

Savage's  Genealogical  Dictionary,  17. 

Sawtell  (Sartell,  Sartwell,  Satell),  fam- 
ily, descended  from  Obadiah,  149. 

Sawtell,  Abel :  soldier,  160,  165 ;  fire- 
arms, 1 68. 

Sawtell,  David:  soldier,  126,  165;  pe- 
tition, 162;  bayonet-man,  177. 

Sawtell,  David,  Jr.,  private,  152. 

Sawtell,  Ephraim,  Jr.,  bayonet-man, 
177. 

Sawtell,  Hezekiah,  sergeant,  151. 

Sawtell,  Jonathan,  private,  155. 

Sawtell,  Joseph,  petition,  165. 

Sawtell,   Josiah :    petition,    147;  clerk, 

155;  Pakl>  '7-- 

Sawtell,  Moses,  soldier,  164. 

Sawtell,  Nathaniel,  private,  176. 

Sawtell,  Obadiah,  148  ;  sad  experience, 
149,  150;  bayonet-man,  177. 

Sawtell,  Richard:  his  tale,  25;  town- 
clerk,  191,  192. 

Sawtell,  Samuel,  private,  174. 

Sawtell,  Zachariah  :  about  to  leave 
Groton,  104;  private,  152. 

Sawyer,  Ezra,  soldier,  126. 

Sawyer,  Samuel,  soldier,  126. 

Saybrook,  Conn.,  190. 

Scorpions,  83. 

Scott,  John,  165. 

Scott,  Lieutenant-Colonel  George,  com- 
pany, 175. 

Scott,  Thomas,  soldier,  165-167. 

Scripture  (Screpter,  Scripter),  Samuel  : 
in  garrison,  60,  examination,  100; 
soldier,  126,  228. 

Scripture,  Samuel.  Jr.,  private,  i  ^2. 

Seager  (Seger),  Ebenezer,  killed,  92 ; 
one  brother,  prisoner,  92. 

Seager,  Henry:  petition,  93  ;  his  mark, 

94- 

Sermon  booke,  76. 

Serpents,  finny,  allusion.  83. 

Severance,  Ephraim,  soldier,  164;  bayo- 
net-man, 177. 


21O 


INDEX. 


Sewall,  Chief-Justice  Samuel,  67,  84; 
diary,  65;  tour  in  -Middlesex  County, 
86.  ' 

Sewall,  Rev.  Samuel,  historian,  88. 

Sharrow  (Sherrow),  Mary,  landlady, 
158,  159. 

Shattuck  (Shadock,  Shaddock),  family  : 
fatality  of,  106;  prominent,  154. 

Shattuck,  Benjamin,  soldier,  165. 

Shattuck,  David:  soldier,  164;  bayonet- 
man,  177. 

Shattuck,  David,  Jr.,  soldier,  165. 

Shattuck,  James,  126,  128. 

Shattuck,  James,  Jr.,  154. 

Shattuck,  Jeremiah  :  private,  155;  cap- 
tain, 166,  167;  bayonet-man,  177. 

Shattuck,  Job,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Shattuck,  John  :  in  garrison,  59  ;  drown- 
ing, widow,  61  ;  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton,  104;  shot,  105;  memorial  stone, 
106;  private,  155. 

Shattuck,  Jonathan,  private,  154. 

Shattuck,  Lemuel,  author,  58,  63. 

Shattuck,  Mr.,  garrison,  107,  108. 

Shattuck,  Xathaniel,  private,  155,  169. 

Shattuck,  Oliver,  soldier,   164,  166,  167. 

Shattuck,  Ruth,  106. 

Shattuck,  Samuel:  testimony,  100; 
about  to  leave  Groton,  104;  under 
Lovewell,  135. 

Shattuck,  Solomon,  not  enlisted,  166. 

Shattuck,  Thomas,  private,  165-167. 

Shattuck,  William,  about  to  leave  Gro- 
ton, 104. 

Shattuck  Manuscripts,  22,  38,  49,  52,  ^4. 

Shattuck  Memorials,  63. 

Shed,  William,  private,  176. 

Shepley  (Shceple,  Sheple,  Sheples, 
Shipley,  Shiply,  Shlpple),  family: 
massacre  and  monument,  67  ;  promi- 
nent, 154. 

Shepley,  Elizabeth,  paid,  172. 

Shepley,  General  George  Foster,  Jus- 
tice of  circuit  court,  68. 

Shepley,  Hon.  Ether,  Chief-Justice,  68. 

Shepley,  John  :  casualties  in  family,  67  ; 
petitioner,  69;  captive,  72;  ensign, 
107,  108;  private,  169,  paid,  171. 

Shepley,  Jonathan:  soldier,  126,  165; 
sergeant,  128. 


Shepley,  Joseph,  private,  155. 

Shepley,  Josiah,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Shepley,  Lemuel,  soldier,  165. 

Shetucket  River,  190. 

Shirley  (Shearly),  Lieutcnant-Govcrnor 
William,  157  ;  company  named  after, 
174. 

Shirley,  Mass.,  174,  188. 
'  Shrewsbury,  Mass.,  127. 
i  Sill,  Captain  Joseph:  dragoons,  30;  at 
Groton,  33;  at  the  Ridges,  35;  com- 
mand of   garrison,  36;  powder    lent 
_to,  37. 

Simonds,  William,  private,  152. 

Simons,  Benjamin,  paid,  45. 

Smith,  Captain  John,  map,  190. 

Smith,  Mathias,  paid,  46. 

Smith,  Nathaniel,  private,  155. 

Smith,  Oliver,  blankets,  167. 

Smith,  Pelatiah,  paid,  45. 

Smith,  Richard,  witness,  180. 

Soldiers,  paid,  44. 

Souhegan,  allusion,  50. 

Spain,  war  with  England,  86. 

Spaulding,  Andrew,  164. 

Spaulding,  Eleazer,  soldier,  164,  166, 
167,  176. 

Spaulding,  Leonard,  soldier,  163. 
I  Spaulding,  William,  corporal,  176. 

Sprague,  Conn.,  190. 

Sprague,  Jonathan,  paid,  45. 

Springfield,  Mass.,  112 

Squagh  (Squaw),  commanded  by  hus- 
band, 1 1. 

Squannacook  (West  Groton),  village 
and  river,  123,  189,  190. 

St.  Baptiste,  corruption  of,  120. 

St.  Francis  Indians,  at  Charlestown, 
N.  II.,  U9. 

St.  George's  Fort,  Maine,  156. 

St.  Lawrence  River,  no;  Tarbells  es- 
tablished near,  117,  Lord  Amherst 
descending,  1 19. 

St.  Regis,  Canada:  chief  at,  116,  estab- 
lished, 117  ;  paintings  in.  123. 

Stacey,  interpreter  from  Ipswich,  121. 

Stanley,  Onesiphorus,  paid,  45. 

Starling,  Daniel,  paid,  45. 

State  Mouse  :  documents  at,  9  ;  allu- 
sion, 65  ;  petition,  157. 


INDEX. 


21  I 


Stearns    (Sternes),    Shubael    (Shuball, 

Subaell),  paid,  45-46. 
Stephens,  Captain  Phineas,  175. 
Stephens,  John,  soldier,  126. 
Stevens,  Cyprian,  paid,  46. 
Stevens,  Jonathan,  private,  176. 
Steward,  Benjamin,  private,  152. 
Stoddard,  John,  sent  to  Quebec,  in. 
Stone  (Stones),  Abiel,  private,  152. 
Stone,  Benjamin,  paid,  171. 
Stone,  James,  paid,  171. 
Stone,   John:    in  garrison,   60;    about 

to  leave  Groton,    104 ;  bayonet-man, 

177- 

Stone,  Jonas,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Stone,  Jonathan,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Stone,  Mr.,  garrison,  107. 

Stone,  Nathaniel,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Stone,  Simon:  paid,  46;  wounded,  56; 
descent  of,  57 ;  in  garrison,  60  ;  select- 
man, 84. 

Stony  Fordway,  Groton,  attack,  105. 

Stoughton,  Lieutenant-Governor  Wil- 
liam: allusion,  24;  proclamation,  72; 
letter,  80. 

Sudbury,  Mass. :  mischief  by  Indians, 
28 ;  strengthened,  39 ;  strokes  made 
on,  92. 

Suffolk  Horse,  at  Groton,  53. 

Sumers  (Summers),  Mr.,  house  of,  58. 

Sweyne,  Jeremy,  quoted,  54. 

Symmes,  Rev.  Mr.,  sermon,  134-140. 


TABLE,  Hubbard's,  quoted,  33. 

Tadmuck  Brook,  Westford,  189. 

Tarbell  (Tarbal,  Tarball,  Tarble,  Tar- 
bol,  Tarbull),  brothers:  bill  against, 
112;  petition,  113. 

Tarbell  children:  captured,  106;  pris- 
oners, 109;  turn  Indians,  116;  story, 
117-120;  captives,  123;  stone  erect- 
ed, 124. 

Tarbell,  Captain  Thomas,  scout,  1 54. 

Tarbell,  Corporal :  discovers  enemy ; 
99;  garrison,  107,  108. 

Tarbell,  David,  bayonet-man,  177. 

Tarbell,  Eleazer  (Eleazor),  120;  private, 
154- 


Tarbell,  James,  private,  152. 

Tarbell,  John :  return  to  Groton,  1 1 1  ; 
private,  153. 

Tarbell,  Lesor  (Eleazer),  120. 

Tarbell,  Loran,  119. 

Tarbell,  Louis,  120;  in  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion, 124. 

Tarbell,  Mitchel,  120. 

Tarbell,  Peter,  120. 

Tarbell,  Samuel,  165;  under  Love  well, 

135- 

Tarbell,  Sarah,  baptized,  no. 
Tarbell,  Sergeant,  offer,  101. 
Tarbell,  Thomas :  testimony,  58 ;  in 

garrison,    59;     selectman,    84;     ser- 
geant, 98;   will,    no,    in;    petition, 

115,  119 ;  paid,  171. 
Tarbell,   Thomas,   Jr.:    witness,  9,  10; 

land-grant,  189. 

Tarbell,  William,  petition,  153. 
Tarbell,  Zachariah  :    return   to  Groton, 

in  ;  private,  175. 
Taxes,  83;  in  Groton,  79. 
Taxous  (Toxus) :  Abenaqui  chief,  64  ; 

expedition,  65 ;  two   nephews  killed, 

66. 

Tayler,  Gillam,  physician,  158. 
Taylor,  Hugh,  paid,  45. 
Taylor,  Lieutenant  Joseph,  in  Canada, 

120-122. 
Taylor,  Major,  87  ;  at  Groton,  68,  69 ; 

colonel,  95. 

Taylor,  Sebread,  paid,  45. 
Tedd,  John,  paid,  45. 
Tenney,  Samuel,  private,  152. 
Terry,  Ebenezer,  on  committee,  146. 
The  Ridges,  Groton,  35. 
Thirty-fourth    New    York    Volunteers, 

124. 

Thursten,  Peter,  not  enlisted,  166. 
Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.,  162,  178. 
Tileston  &  Hollingsworth,  stone  raised 

by,  105. 
Tinker,    John,    selectman,   8 ;     Indian 

traffic,  179,  180. 
Tiverton,  R.  I.,  115. 
j  Toby,  Indian,  136. 

i  Tohaunto,  chief,  1 1 .-    temperance  of,  9. 
Tom,  Captain,  petition,  187. 
j  Tompson,  Benjamin,  poet,  13. 


212 


INDEX. 


Topsfield,    Mass.,    191  ;    commissioner 

from,  42. 

Torakaron    (Tarbell),   Joseph,    in    Eu- 
rope, 122. 

Torrey,  Rufus  C.,  author,  153. 
Torrey,  William,  clerk,  49. 
Town  Hall,  Groton,  25,  27,  62. 
Town-meeting,    1675,    -°  >     on   Christ- i 

mas,  133. 

Town  militia,  preserving  frontiers,  103. 
Townsend,  Mass.,  173,  175. 
Townsend,  Penn,  speaker,  84. 
Trowbridge  (Trobridge),  John,  private, 

169. 

Trucking-house,  n. 
Trulove,  Morris,  paid,  47. 
Trumbull.  James  Hammond,  letter,  189. 
Tucker,  William,  private,  152. 
Turkey  Hills  (Lunenburg),  Mass.,  146; 

men  posted  at,  128,  129. 
Turner,  Lemuel,  private,  175. 
Turner,  Nathaniel,  private,  175. 
Turner,  Nehemiah,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Tyng    (Ting,    Tinges,    Tings,    Tyngs), 

Colonel  William.  146. 
Tyng,  Edward,  allusion,  49. 
Tyng,  Jonathan  :  allusion,  24;  petition 

'68 ;   order,  So. 


UNQUETEXASSETT  (Unquetenorset,  Un- 

quety)  Brook,  189. 

Upper  Regiment,  Middlesex  County.  87. 
Usher,    Hezekiah :    garrison    supplied, 

53 ;  will,  62. 
Usher,  John  :  letter,  63;  soldier,  126. 


VERMONT    Historical    Gazetteer,    162. 

163. 

Villieu,  Lieutenant  Sebastian  de,  expe- 
dition, 65. 


WAAKAN  (Waban),  Thomas,  184. 
Wabansconcett,  locality.  189. 
Wachuset      (Wochoosett)      Mountain, 

I2Q. 

Wade,  Major  Nathaniel,  commander  of 

expedition  to  Canada,  54.  55. 


Waldo,  John,  paid,  46. 

Waldo  Tapers,  76. 

Waldron  (Waldern),  Captain  Richard, 

trading-house,  9,  11. 
Waldron,  Daniel,  deposition,  10. 
Walker,  Seth,  in  Charlestown,  150. 
Walmer  (Warner),  Samuel,  in  garrison, 

59- 

Wamesit :  village,  18;  situation,  42. 

Wamesit  Indians,  near  Lowell,  22. 

Wamscahacet  ( Wamscahacetts,  Wom- 
scahacett,  Womscahacet),  Indian, 
180;  signature,  181. 

Wannalanset  ( Wanalanset),  Indian  sa- 
chem. 18 ;  information  by,  49. 

Warren  (Warrin),  Abijah,  bayonet-man, 
177. 

Warren,  William,  private,  152. 

Wars  of  New  England,  87. 

Warumbee,  Indian,  73. 

Watertown  (Watertowne),  Mass. :  relief 
from,  30;  boast  concerning,  33 ;  sol- 
diers from,  34:  commissioner  from, 
42. 

Wattle's  Pond,  Groton,  145. 

Wayman  (Wyman),  Seth,  trial,  98-101. 

Wells,  Thomas,  on  committee,  1 1  ;. 

Wenham,  Mass.,  115;  commissioner 
from,  42. 

Wesson,  Captain  Ephraim :  letter,  162, 
163 ;  lieutenant,  166. 

Wesson,  Isaac,  private,  169. 

Wesson,  Nathan,  soldier,  165-167. 

Wesson,  Nathaniel,  private,  169. 

Wesson,  Stephen,  165. 

Westenhook,  N.  V.,  112. 

Westfield,  Mass.,  112. 

Westford,  Mass.,  153,  174,  17;,  188, 
189. 

Weston,  Mass.,  176. 

West  Regiment,  Middlesex  County.  59. 

Wethe  (Wilthe,  Withee),  Zachariah, 
private,  169. 

Wetmore,  Judge  William,  191. 

Weymessitt  (Wamesit);  garrison,  39; 
allusion,  184. 

Wheat,  Joshua,  in  garrison,  61. 

Wheeler  (Wheler),  Abraham,  paid.  171. 

Wheeler,  Captain  Thomas:  letter,  16; 
suppliant,  23. 


INDEX. 


213 


Wheeler,  Ephraim,  soldier,  126. 

Wheeler,  Josiah,  paid,  45. 

Wheeler,  Moses,  pioneer,  150. 

Wheeler,  Simon  :  soldier,  165  ;  gun  lost, 
168. 

Wheelock,  Eleazer,  D.  D.,  author,  121. 

Wheelock,  Joseph,  soldier,  126. 

Whipple  (Whiple),  Eleazer,  private, 
176. 

Whipple,  Nathan:  private,  175;  bayo- 
net-man, 177. 

Whitcomb  (Whitcom),  John,  witness, 
180,  181. 

Whitcomb,  Oliver,  private,  152. 

White,  Ebenezer,  corporal,  54. 

White,  John,  Jr.,  private,  152. 

White,  Nathaniel,  private,  152. 

Whiting  (Whitting),  Joshua,  in  garri- 
son, 60. 

Whiting,  Joshua,  Jr.,  in  garrison,  60. 

Whitman,  John,  private,  152. 

Whitney  (Whitting),  the  name,  61. 

Whitney,  Cornelius  (Corenallus),  about 
to  leave  Groton,  104. 

Whitney  (Whittney),  Deacon,  107. 

Whitney,  Josiah,  about  to  leave  Groton, 
104. 

Whitney,  Samuel,  paid,  44. 

Widow  Nutting,  John's  wife,  27. 

Widow  Squaw  (Squa)  :  question  sub- 
mitted to,  94;  penalty  decided  by, 

95- 

\Vilder,  Colonel  Oliver,  166. 
Wilder  (Wyler),  Lieutenant  Nathaniel, 

87. 

Willard  (Wellard),  Aaron,  soldier,  126. 
Willard,  Captain  Abijah,  his  company, 

175- 

Willard,  Captain  Benjamin,  at  court- 
martial,  98. 

Willard,  Colonel  Joseph,  Fort  Dum- 
mer,  156. 

Willard,  Henry,  under  Lovewell,  135. 

Willard,  Josiah  :  secretary,  115;  letter, 

'45.  H6- 

Willard,  Major  Simon:  witness,  10; 
prominent  man,  13;  helps  Parker,  14; 
communication,  19;  petition,  21 ;  sup- 
pliant, 22;  unable  to  relieve  Groton, 
34;  paid,  47  ;  allusion,  171. 


Willard,  Miriam,  captured,  149. 

Willard,  Moses  :  killed,  149;  in  Charles- 
town,  150. 

Willard,  Moses,  Jr.,  narrow  escape, 
149. 

Willard,  Rev.  Samuel:  petition,  21; 
hand-writing,  22 ;  Indian  taunts,  28  ; 
facts  obtained  from,  29 ;  garrison, 
38;  garret,  39;  allusion,  156. 

Willard,  Sarah,  65. 

Willard  house,  used  as  garrison,  25. 

William  Henry,  fort,  N.  Y.,  siege,  178. 

Williams,  Captain  Stephen,  court-mar- 
tial, 98. 

Williams,  Isaac,  private,  176. 

Williams,  Jason,  soldier,  128. 

Williams,  John,  sent  to  Quebec,  in. 

Williams,  Josiah,  private,  174. 

Williams,  Mrs.  Eunice,  122. 

Williams,  Rev.  John,  captured  from 
Deerfield,  121. 

Willis,  Zachariah,  soldier,  165. 

\Vilson,  Benjamin,  sergeant,  88. 

Wilthe  (Wethe,  Withee),  Zachariah, 
private,  169. 

Winslow,  General  John,  158;  journal, 
174. 

Winslow,  Jacob,  paid,  45. 

Winslow,  Maine,  158. 

Winter,  hard,  97. 

Wiswell,  Captain  Noah  :  finds  no  en- 
emy, 54;  Indian  under  his  command, 

57- 
Withee    (Wethe,    Wilthe),    Zachariah, 

private,  169. 

Woburn  (Wooburne),  Mass. :  inhabi- 
tants sitting  on  the  fence,  42  ;  letter, 
So;  History,  88;  allusion,  137. 

Wochoosett  (Wachuset)  Mountain,  129. 

Wood,  Bennet,  private,  1152. 

Wood,  Eleazer  (Eleazor),  private,  152. 

Wood,  Elizabeth,  no. 

Wood,  John,  paid,  45. 

Wood,  Thomas,  paid,  45. 

Woods  (Wods,  Woodes),  Aaron,  pri- 
vate, 155. 

Woods,  Alice  (Alse)  :  wife  of  Samuel, 
38  ;  in  Willard's  garret,  39. 

Woods,  Benjamin,  soldier,  165. 

Woods,  Daniel,  killed,  134. 


214 


INDEX. 


Woods,  Eber,  garrison,  near  house  of, 

25- 
Woods,  Henry:  suppliant,  23;  petition, 

158-160;  letter,  162;  soldier,  163. 
Woods,  Isaac:   soldier,  126,  128;  paid, 

171. 

Woods,  John,  165;  lieutenant,  151. 
Woods,  John,  Jr.,  bayonet-man,  177. 
Woods,  Jona,  private,  176. 
Woods,  Jonas,  private,  169. 
Woods,  Moses  :  private,  155  ;  corporal, 

175- 

Woods,  Nathaniel :  selectman,  97  ; 
about  to  leave  Groton,  104. 

Woods,  Nathaniel,  Jr.,  153;  bayonet- 
man,  177. 

Woods,  Reuben  (Ruben):  private,  152, 
155;  sergeant,  177. 


Woods,  Samuel,  in  garrison,  61. 

Woods,    Thomas :     in    garrison,    61  ; 
killed,  134;  private,  155. 

Woolley,  Charles,  authority,  145. 

Worcester,  Mass.,  168. 

Wright,  David,  private,  176. 

Wright,  Jo.siah,  private,  176. 

Wright,  Oliver:  soldier,  164;  sergeant, 
1 68. 

Wyler  (Wilder),  Lieutenant  Nathaniel, 

87. 

!  Wyman  (\\ayman),  Ensign  Seth,  com- 
mander, 137,  138. 

XAVIER,  St.  Francis,  portrait,  123. 
YEOMAN,  175,  176. 


University  Press  :   John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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